Simha Vahana

The grand nine-day festival of Brahmotsavam, celebrated in the prominent temples of South India, features a different ‘vahana’ (vehicle) for each day, for the deity to be taken in a procession. On the morning of the third day of the festival, the deity is mounted on the Simha Vahana and taken for a procession.

Simha, meaning lion, is a symbol of power and royalty. The Bhagavad Gita states that the lord is the Simha among all animals. Moreover Lord Vishnu took the form of Narasimha (half man and half lion) to destroy a demon named Hiranyakasipu. The lion is therefore designated as the lord’s mount.