Festival Celebrations at Ahobilam in the Late Medieval Period

Nestled in the Nallamalai hills of the Eastern Ghats, Ahobila in present-day Andhra Pradesh is a major pilgrimage centre (tīrtha) of the most important Vaiṣṇava deity of the Telugu-speaking region, Narasiṃha. It is recognized as an avatārasthala, where Viṣṇu manifests as the half-man, half-lion to slay the demon, Hiraṇyakaśipu. Long associated with an ascetic order and maṭha of the Śrīvaiṣṇava tradition (saṃpradāya), Ahobila was also instrumental in the spread of this type of Viṣṇu devotion that originated in the Tamil south. The Vijayanagara kings made lavish donations to this temple during festivals (utsava) as evidenced in the Telugu inscriptions from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. This article focuses on three aspects of the celebrations: the ritual calendar, the processional trajectories and the food offerings that provide us a window into the dynamic festival culture at this site.