temple on the occasion of Ekadashi days. The most important one among the Pakshotsavas is the Jalasayana Ekadashi. It is believed that Vishnu retires to sleep on the serpent bed for four months, starting from that day (the 11th day of the former fortnight of Ashadha) until Uttana Dwadasi (the 12th day of the former fortnight of Karthika). Every month, special festivals are conducted in honour of the deity when one of the few auspicious nakshatras (stars) appear, which are known as Nakshatrotsavas. Vaishnavites consider Mrigashira, Punarvasu, Uttara and Sravana very auspicious among the 27 nakshatras. Sankaramanas, the festivals corresponding to the movement of sun in the heaven, are celebrated in the temple. Makar Sankranti and Karthika Sankranti are the major ones, followed by the relatively minor Vishnu Sankranti. Makaraveta (crocodile hunt) is celebrated a day after Makar Sankranthi. In the temple tank, the scenario of the Hindu legend Gajendra Moksha is recreated with the help of a mock crocodile hunt by the utsava idol. Teppotsavam (floating festival) is celebrated at the end of the Pausha month. In addition, Simhachalam celebrates two annual festivals: Dhanurmasotsava and Adhyayanotsava. Dhanurmasotsava celebrates Andal's attempts to marry Lord Ranganatha, a form of Vishnu. She observed tapas (self disciplined meditation) for 30 days before being married unto the Lord. Those 30 days are celebrated for the entire month of Margashira by a special ritual at the Andal shrine. In Adhyayanotsava (study festival), the deity is conducted to the assembly hall where he is worshipped for 20 days. The 4000 verses of the Tamil text Naalayira Divya Prabhandham is read aloud along with other sacred texts, which lends the festival its name. This festival is divided into two phases: the first phases lasts for the first ten mornings of the fortnight. The eleventh day, which happens to be Vaikuntha Ekadashi, begins the second phase. The deity, seated on a specially made porch, is worshipped in the night during the second phase. Special services suited to each incarnation of Vishnu are offered during this phase. Significance Religious and national importance Simhachalam is one of the 32 Narasimha temples in Andhra Pradesh which are important pilgrimage centres alongside Ahobilam, Antarvedi, Kadiri and Mangalagiri among others. It was regarded as an important centre of Vaishnavism in the medieval period along with Srikurmam and others. Diana L Eck, the author of India: A Sacred Geography (2012) noted that at Simhachalam,