The Kadiri Lakshmi Narasimha temple sits in the heart of Kadiri town, in Sri Sathya Sai district (carved out of the former Anantapur district) in the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh. Its presiding deity is a Narasimha that devotees hold to be swayambhu (self-manifested), and the shrine is best known for a temple tradition that the stone image perspires. This guide covers the temple, the giant banyan nearby, and how to plan the trip.
The Sri Khadri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple in Kadiri, Sri Sathya Sai district, Andhra Pradesh, is a Vijayanagara-era shrine to a lion-faced form of Vishnu. The best months to visit are October to February, and the temple pairs naturally with Thimmamma Marrimanu, a Guinness-listed banyan about 25 km away.
Key takeaways
- The Kadiri Lakshmi Narasimha temple is in Kadiri town, Sri Sathya Sai district (formerly Anantapur), Andhra Pradesh, at roughly 504 m elevation.
- Temple tradition holds the deity is swayambhu (self-manifested); one temple listing says the idol “keeps sweating after the daily Abishekam” — treat this as belief, not a measured fact.
- The town’s four Rajagopurams are credited to Vijayanagara rulers; the annual Brahmotsavam in 2024 ran 19 March to 2 April per the Government of India utsav.gov.in listing.
- Thimmamma Marrimanu, about 25 km away, holds the Guinness record for “largest canopy on a living tree” — 2.19 hectares, recorded 2020.
- Best season is October to February; nearest airports are Puttaparthi (Sri Sathya Sai) and Bengaluru, with rail at Kadiri on the Dharmavaram–Pakala line.
About Kadiri and the temple
Kadiri is a municipal town in Sri Sathya Sai district, Andhra Pradesh, and the headquarters of Kadiri mandal and revenue division. The former Anantapur district was reorganised in 2022, and Kadiri now falls under the newer Sri Sathya Sai district. The town sits at about 504 m, with hills to the north and east and the Sudda Vagu stream to the west, according to its Wikipedia entry.
The town grew around its temple. According to Hindu tradition recorded in the same source, the town was first called Khadripuram after the khadara (a hardy thorn tree) plants that grew in the surrounding forests. The temple’s own legend, as devotional sources tell it, holds that Narasimha emerged as swayambhu from the roots of a kaadri tree to protect the child devotee Prahlada. These are matters of belief and temple tradition, not documented history.
Kadiri recorded 89,429 residents in the 2011 Census, so it is a working market town rather than a resort. Most visitors come for the temple, often combining it with the banyan at Thimmamma Marrimanu and the Vijayanagara trail that runs through this corner of Rayalaseema. If you are planning a wider circuit, our Andhra Pradesh travel guide sets out how the Rayalaseema temple towns connect.
The sweating deity: belief and Vijayanagara architecture
The Kadiri Lakshmi Narasimha temple is best known for a belief that its main idol perspires. One temple listing states plainly that “the idol of the deity keeps sweating after the daily Abishekam (ritual bathing),” and local tradition says priests attend to the image. We report this as temple tradition and devotee belief; no measured or scientific account confirms it, and you should treat it as part of the shrine’s faith rather than an established fact.
The architecture is firmly in the Vijayanagara idiom. According to a temple reference, the four Rajagopurams (the towered gateways facing east, west, north and south) were built by Vijayanagara rulers, with the main eastern gate credited to a Harihara. The same account says the Vijayanagara emperor Sri Krishna Devaraya and, later, the Maratha king Shivaji are remembered as having visited and endowed additional shrines. The dating here rests on devotional and temple sources rather than inscriptional study, so treat the attributions as tradition.
Inside the high compound wall, the complex includes a Kalyanamandapam (marriage hall), an Asthana mandapam to which the processional deity is carried during festivals, and a Yagnamantapam carrying carved stone lions — fitting for a lion-faced god. A square pushkarini (temple tank), about 80 ft on a side, sits in the north-east corner, and a shrine to the goddess stands to the south. The carved gopurams, pillared mandapas and lion motifs are the main things to look for if you care about the stonework.
Brahmotsavam and the chariot festival
The temple’s biggest event is its annual Brahmotsavam, a multi-day festival that in 2024 ran from 19 March to 2 April according to the Government of India’s utsav.gov.in event listing. The climax is the rathotsavam, when the deity is drawn through town on a towering temple chariot. The Deccan Chronicle reported that the 2022 chariot procession drew more than five lakh people and called it among the country’s largest brahma rathotsavams; dates shift each year with the Hindu calendar, so confirm the current year’s schedule before you travel (as of October 2026).
A separate temple occasion is Narasimha Jayanti, which a temple reference places on Swati nakshatra in Vaishakha Shukla Chaturdashi (around April–May). If you want the shrine at its liveliest, the Brahmotsavam window is the time to come; if you prefer a quieter darshan, avoid festival days, when crowds are heavy and queues long.
Best time to visit Kadiri
The best time to visit Kadiri is October to February, when the Rayalaseema heat eases. According to climate figures in the town’s Wikipedia entry, December days average about 23.6°C and nights about 16°C, while May can be fierce, with highs reported up to 48°C. Annual rainfall is modest at around 700 mm, most of it from the south-west monsoon between June and September.
| Season | Months | Weather | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | Oct–Feb | Pleasant; December ~16–24°C | Best overall; temple visits, Thimmamma banyan, forts |
| Summer | Mar–May | Hot and dry; May highs reported up to 48°C | Brahmotsavam (Mar–Apr) if you can bear the heat |
| Monsoon | Jun–Sep | Most of the ~700 mm annual rain | Greener landscape; occasional travel disruption |
| Post-monsoon | Oct–Nov | Cooling, some late showers | Comfortable sightseeing, waterfalls run |
How to reach Kadiri
Kadiri is reached most easily by road, with rail on a branch line and the nearest airports about 40–150 km away. The town lies roughly 90 km from Anantapur and about 150 km from Bengaluru. According to its Wikipedia entry, NH-42 links Kadiri with Hyderabad, Tirupati, Anantapur, Chennai and Kurnool, and APSRTC runs buses to Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad.
By rail, Kadiri station sits on the Dharmavaram–Pakala branch line, with services to Tirupati, Vijayawada, Nellore and Ongole among others. For flights, the two practical airports are Puttaparthi (the Sri Sathya Sai airport near Prasanthi Nilayam) and Kempegowda International at Bengaluru; an official Sri Sathya Sai district page puts Bengaluru airport about 132 km from Puttaparthi. Train names, numbers and flight schedules change — reconfirm on IRCTC/NTES and the airline before booking (as of October 2026).
| From | Distance | How | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anantapur | ~90 km | Road/bus | Wikipedia; APSRTC services |
| Puttaparthi (Sri Sathya Sai) | ~41 km | Road/taxi | Cab-operator estimate; nearest airport/town |
| Bengaluru | ~150 km | Road/bus/train | Route-planner estimate; via Dharmavaram by rail |
| Thimmamma Marrimanu | ~25 km | Road/taxi | Wikipedia; the giant banyan |
| Dharmavaram | Branch-line junction | Rail | Kadiri is on the Dharmavaram–Pakala line |
Things to see in and around Kadiri
The temple is the anchor, but Kadiri works best as a base for a short Rayalaseema loop. The headline sights are the Narasimha temple in town, the record-holding banyan at Thimmamma Marrimanu, and the Vijayanagara-era forts at Gooty and Penukonda within a half-day’s drive. The table below groups them with the practical detail you need; distances outside town are approximate planning figures to reconfirm.
| Place | What it is | Distance from Kadiri | Time needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kadiri Lakshmi Narasimha temple | Vijayanagara-era Narasimha shrine; the “sweating” deity (belief) | In town | 1–2 hours |
| Thimmamma Marrimanu | Guinness-listed giant banyan with a small shrine | ~25 km | 1–2 hours |
| Gooty Fort | Chalukya/Vijayanagara hill fort; Murari Rao links | Far (plan a full day) | Half day |
| Penukonda Fort | Vijayanagara defence capital; Gagan Mahal | Via Penukonda town | Half day |
| Batrepalli Waterfalls | Seasonal falls in Talupula mandal | Short drive | 1 hour (Sep–Dec) |
Kadiri is also associated with the Telugu poet Vemana, remembered for plain-spoken verses on morality and everyday life; his connection to the area is part of the town’s identity, per the Wikipedia entry. Batrepalli Waterfalls, in nearby Talupula mandal, run mainly from September to December, so they suit a monsoon or post-monsoon visit.
Thimmamma Marrimanu, the giant banyan
Thimmamma Marrimanu is a single banyan tree about 25 km from Kadiri that holds the Guinness World Records title for “largest canopy on a living tree.” According to Guinness, the record was set in 2020 with a canopy of 2.19 hectares (about 5.41 acres), roughly 190 m by 145 m, supported by nearly 4,000 prop roots. An older Guinness listing from 1989 recorded a smaller area of 19,107 m², which is cited widely in travel writing — the figures reflect different measurements over time.
The tree is named, by local myth, after a woman called Thimmamma; the story holds that the banyan grew from a pole of her husband’s funeral pyre. A small shrine stands beneath the canopy, and a large jatara (fair) is held around Shivaratri. We report the name-legend as folklore, not history. The site is managed as a tourist and pilgrimage spot in Sri Sathya Sai district, and the district administration has marked occasions such as World Tourism Day here, per Deccan Chronicle reporting.
Gooty and Penukonda forts
Two Vijayanagara-linked forts make Kadiri a good jumping-off point for Rayalaseema history. Gooty Fort, in Anantapur district, is a layered hill fort: inscriptions near its Narasimha temple point to the Western Chalukya king Vikramaditya VI (around 1076–1126 CE), and the fort later passed to the Vijayanagara empire, which a Bukka Raya inscription is said to have called the “King of Forts,” according to its Wikipedia entry. The Maratha general Murari Rao captured it around 1746 and made it his residence; Hyder Ali of Mysore besieged it in 1775 and took it after the defenders ran out of water.
Penukonda Fort, also in the old Anantapur district, served as a defence capital of the Vijayanagara empire. The Incredible India tourism page describes it as a 14th-century Vijayanagara fort, and its Gagan Mahal pavilion — a summer retreat — is dated to 1575. Both forts involve climbs and uneven ground; carry water and go in the cooler morning hours. For the finest Vijayanagara temple art in this border region, pair the trip with the murals and the monolithic Nandi at Lepakshi — see our Lepakshi temple guide.
A suggested two-day itinerary
Two days is enough to cover the temple and the banyan without rushing, with a third day if you add a fort.
- Day 1 — Kadiri town: Arrive and take morning or evening darshan at the Lakshmi Narasimha temple; walk the four gopurams and the pushkarini. Spend the afternoon on the town’s markets, or rest through the midday heat.
- Day 2 — Thimmamma Marrimanu: Drive out early (about 25 km) to the giant banyan, allow an hour or two under the canopy and at the shrine, and return by afternoon. If it is September to December, detour to Batrepalli Waterfalls.
- Day 3 (optional) — a fort or Lepakshi: Add Penukonda Fort or a longer run to Lepakshi, depending on your route out. Start early and carry water for the climbs.
Where to stay and budget
Kadiri has basic lodges and budget hotels rather than resorts, so many travellers base themselves in Anantapur or Puttaparthi, both better supplied with mid-range rooms. For a temple-focused trip, a clean budget room in Kadiri keeps you close to early darshan; for comfort, Puttaparthi (about 41 km away) offers more choice, including options run around the Prasanthi Nilayam ashram town. Book ahead during the Brahmotsavam, when rooms fill across the district.
The figures below are indicative planning estimates for two people, gathered as general bands rather than quoted tariffs — reconfirm current rates when you book (as of October 2026).
| Style | Stay (per night) | Food (per day) | Local transport | Rough daily total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | ₹800–1,500 | ₹300–500 | ₹500–800 (shared/auto) | ₹1,600–2,800 |
| Mid-range | ₹2,000–4,000 | ₹600–1,000 | ₹1,500–2,500 (taxi) | ₹4,100–7,500 |
| Comfort (Puttaparthi base) | ₹4,000–7,000 | ₹1,000–1,500 | ₹2,500–3,500 (taxi) | ₹7,500–12,000 |
On food, Rayalaseema cooking leans hot and tangy. Look for ragi sankati (finger-millet balls eaten with spicy curry), natukodi pulusu (country-chicken stew), and the region’s fiery chicken and mutton dishes; vegetarians will find temple-town meals (rice, sambar, local vegetable curries) easily. Carry water and eat where there is turnover.
Darshan, dress and practical tips
No special permit is needed to visit Kadiri or the temple — it is open to all, and this is ordinary domestic travel with no inner-line or protected-area rules. One temple listing gives darshan timings of about 5 am to 1 pm and 4:30 pm to 8:30 pm, but temple hours and any special-entry arrangements change, so confirm with the temple or the Andhra Pradesh endowments office on the day (as of October 2026).
On etiquette, dress modestly as at any active Hindu shrine: cover shoulders and knees, and remove footwear before entering. We did not find a published, enforced dress code specific to Kadiri, so treat traditional modest clothing as the safe default. Photography is often restricted inside sanctums; ask before you shoot, and never photograph people without consent. Keep the complex and the banyan site litter-free.
- Cash and UPI: Kadiri has ATMs and UPI is widely accepted, but carry some cash for small vendors, offerings and autos.
- Health: Government and private hospitals operate in Kadiri town; for anything serious, Anantapur (~90 km) has larger facilities. Carry basic medicines and sun protection.
- Heat: Summers are severe; plan temple and fort visits for early morning or evening and keep hydrated.
- Solo and women travellers: Kadiri is a conservative temple town; dress modestly, keep to daytime for intercity travel, and use prepaid or app-based taxis where possible.
- Packing: Light cottons and a sun hat for most of the year; a light layer for winter evenings; sturdy shoes for the forts.
Nearby places
Kadiri sits within easy reach of several Vijayanagara and pilgrimage sites, so it slots neatly into a wider Rayalaseema itinerary. The distances below are approximate planning figures; confirm them on a mapping service before you set out.
| Place | Approx. distance | Why go |
|---|---|---|
| Thimmamma Marrimanu | ~25 km | World’s largest banyan canopy (Guinness, 2020) |
| Puttaparthi | ~41 km | Prasanthi Nilayam ashram town; nearest airport |
| Penukonda | Half-day drive | Vijayanagara fort and Gagan Mahal |
| Lepakshi | Longer drive (via Hindupur) | Vijayanagara murals and monolithic Nandi |
| Gooty | Full-day drive | Multi-period hill fort with Murari Rao links |
For a longer plan that strings these together with the rest of the state, use our Andhra Pradesh travel guide, and read the Lepakshi temple guide before you add that leg.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Kadiri Lakshmi Narasimha temple?
The Kadiri Lakshmi Narasimha temple is in Kadiri town, Sri Sathya Sai district (formerly part of Anantapur district), in the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh. The town sits at about 504 m, roughly 90 km from Anantapur and about 150 km from Bengaluru, and the shrine is the centre of the town.
Does the Kadiri Narasimha idol really sweat?
A temple tradition holds that the Kadiri Narasimha idol perspires; one temple listing says it “keeps sweating after the daily Abishekam” (ritual bathing). This is reported as devotee belief and temple custom, not as a measured or scientifically verified fact. Treat it as part of the shrine’s faith and ask the priests on site for their own account.
What is the best time to visit Kadiri?
October to February is the best time to visit Kadiri, when Rayalaseema cools; December days average about 23.6°C per climate figures in the town’s Wikipedia entry. Summers can reach highs reported up to 48°C. If you want the Brahmotsavam festival, come in March–April, but expect heat and heavy crowds.
How do I reach Kadiri by train or air?
Kadiri railway station sits on the Dharmavaram–Pakala branch line, with trains to Tirupati, Vijayawada and other cities. The nearest airports are Puttaparthi (Sri Sathya Sai, about 41 km) and Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International. Reconfirm current train numbers and flights on IRCTC/NTES and the airline, as schedules change (as of October 2026).
Is Thimmamma Marrimanu near Kadiri worth visiting?
Yes. Thimmamma Marrimanu, about 25 km from Kadiri, is a single banyan that holds the Guinness record for “largest canopy on a living tree” — 2.19 hectares, recorded in 2020, with nearly 4,000 prop roots. A small shrine sits beneath the canopy, and it pairs easily with a Kadiri temple visit in one day.
Is there a dress code or permit for the temple?
No permit is required to visit Kadiri or its temple. There is no special dress code we could confirm, but modest clothing that covers shoulders and knees is expected at the shrine, and footwear is removed before entry. Photography inside sanctums is often restricted, so ask before you shoot (as of October 2026).
Last updated and sources
Kadiri suits pilgrims and history-minded travellers who want Vijayanagara stonework and a record-breaking tree without the crowds of the big circuits. Come between October and February, keep a day for Thimmamma Marrimanu, and confirm festival dates and darshan hours before you set out.
Last updated: 16 October 2026. Fees, timings and permits change — reconfirm with official sources before you travel.
Sources: Government of India, utsav.gov.in Brahmotsavam 2024 event listing (utsav.gov.in); Sri Sathya Sai district administration, how to reach (srisathyasai.ap.gov.in); Guinness World Records, “Largest canopy on a living tree” (guinnessworldrecords.com); Wikipedia, Kadiri and Thimmamma Marrimanu and Gooty Fort (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kadiri); Incredible India, Penukonda Fort (incredibleindia.gov.in); Deccan Chronicle, Kadiri rathotsavam and Thimmamma Marrimanu reports (deccanchronicle.com); temple reference listing for darshan timings and tradition (astroved.com). Accessed October 2026.
