sea level. A natural valley is seen running along the north western slope of the hill, which covers almost half of its height. The hill range, cut into terraces, was used later to cultivate large plantations of pineapple, jack fruit, and Banana. A small village grew around the temple in due course of time. Steps were built alongside the stream of water to serve as a way of approach to both the village and the temple. Due to the soil nature, rainfall and the climatic conditions influenced by the sea level, the growth of flora is abundant on the hill range. The hills also contain medical herbs used to cure the diseases of both humans and cattle. There are various ways to reach the temple. The most popular one is the flight of one thousand steps from the foot of hill whose entrance is referred to as the Bhairava Dwaram. On one side, a pathway runs from Madhava Dwaram to the top. On the other side, at the foot of the hill, roads were laid starting from the Bhairava Dwaram to the top. Simhachalam has two temple tanks: the Swami Pushkarini at the top and Gangadhara at the bottom, which is referred to as the Varaha Pushkarini. They are similar to the ones found in the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple. In addition, there are three natural springs named Akashadhara, Chakradhara, and Madhavadhara. At the foot of the hill, two gardens are available where festivals are celebrated. Architecture Simhachalam temple resembles a fortress from outside with three prakarams (outer courtyards) and five gateways. Majority of the temple's present form is the one rebuilt by Narasimhadeva I. Its architecture is a mixture of the styles of the Kaligan (Odisha), Chalukyas, Kakatiyas, and the Cholas. It faces west, an unusual case in the usual tradition of temple architecture. It is believed that the temple initially faced east, but was changed to west due to inexplicable reasons. As per the Hindu texts Purushottama Samhita and the Vishnu Samhita, a temple facing west signifies victory unlike the east ones which denotes prosperity. It is believed that the Gangadhara's flow from the east to the west might be a reason why the temple faces west. A prakaram covers the entire temple with two gateways on the northern and western sides. The temple has a five-tier rajagopuram (main tower) on the western gateway. Devotees enter the temple through