The presiding Deity, Sri Narasimhadeva, is here with Laxmi Devi, who is situated nearby. While the temple compound is quite large, the Deities’ sanctum (gabhara) is very small a 3 foot by 4 foot room. The entrance is equally small, and devotees must squat to see the Lord through a 3 foot high entrance. Just as worship of Lord Nrsimhadeva in Kali Yuga requires great diligence, getting His darshan here at Pokharni is also somewhat difficult.
The Nrsimhadeva temple at Pokarni was built approximately a thousand years ago, around 1000 B.C. to 1300 B.C. The construction is in the Hemadpanthi architectural style. It was built by a king whose girl child was cured of blindness. Although the king wanted to move the Nrsimhadeva Deity residing at Bhaktagan village into the new temple, the villagers refused to allow it. Instead, the beautiful two-armed Deity, holding chakra and conch, was installed at Pokharni.
The sanctum sanctorum is built of huge stones and stales, and is situated on the ground floor. In recent years it has been fitted with marble, and other modern cooling and security fittings. Male devotees must remove shirt and belt before entering the main sanctum. Nearby there is a plinth and bathing platform for abhishek. Carved images depict the Lord’s pastimes.
The two-armed presiding Deity is standing, in a fearsome mood. The Deity is carved in sandstone (walukashma pashan), ornamented with gold kavacham. This golden mask is also known asmukhawata, and is inlaid with diamonds and gems. Worship of the Lord begins at mangal arotik; He is bathed and dressed in silk. Lord Nrsimha is said to look like a baby in the morning, like a youth in the afternoon, and old in the evening. The program of worship here is known as shashwat maha pooja, or ‘eternal adoration’.
Lord Narsimhadeva has a beautifully decorated sleeping room at the front of the sanctum, where a teak diwan and silk bed are located.