Srikalahasti temple is a very famous Shiva temple located in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. It is one of the most well known temples of South India and is known for being the place where Kannappa happily sacrificed both of his eyes to stop the blood flowing out of the Shiva Lingam and he continued doing the same so long till the time, he was not stopped by Lord Shiva. After the incidence Lord Shiva being happy with his devotion gave him salvation. Kannappa also called as Kannappa Nayanar and one of the 63 saints and the devotee of Lord Shiva. This temple is known for having one of the Panchabhoota Sthalams, Vayu Linga which represents wind. Srikalahasti temple is located at a distance of about 36 km from the Tirupati temple. Besides that, the temple is also considered as Dakshina Kasi and Rahu-katu-Kshetra. The interior of the temple was built during fifth century while the outer part was built by Vijayanagara and Chola kings in twelfth century. Lord Shiva, he is worshipped as Kalahasteeswara in the form of Vayu. There is a lot to explore about their, one of the most pious places of the great country India.
Let’s delve a little deeper into the various other aspects of the Srikalahasti Temple of the Sothern part of India:
Sri kalahasti temple is located at about a distance of 38 km from the North of Tirupati central and it can be conveniently reached both from road and train. The temple is accessible from any of the trains of Vijayavada-Tirupati and also through various APSRTC buses.
ADDRESS OF THE TEMPLE:
Sri Kalahasteeswara Swamy Vari Devasthanams,
Sri Kalahasti, Chittor District,
Andhra Pradesh-517644
This temple is celebrated for worshipping Lord Shiva, for him being embodiment of one of the five primary elements in the form of water, fire, earth, space and air. Sri Kalahasti temple is famous for the element air and the other four which are Chidambaram (Space), Kanchipuram (Earth), Tiruvanaikkaval (Water) and Tiruvannamalai (Fire). This temple is among some of the very famous and honoured religious places of the South. Sri kalahasti temple commands special respect particularly by the devotees of Lord Shiva. The fervent Purana and the well-off architecture make it a great experience for the devotees. Visiting this sacrosanct religious place, besides giving a heavenly experience also liberates the devotees from fault in their planetary orientations.
At this place, Lord Shiva is believed to have given liberation to an elephant, serpent and spider who were great devotees of Lord Shiva lingam located at this place. In Kritayuga, which is considered to be the first of the four Yugas of the Hindu religion, the spider has got to have salvation, while the snake and the elephant who were the devotees of Lord Shiva in the Trata Yugaam got salvation that era. It is believed that the devotional expression of the elephant was a troubling thing for the devotional display of the serpent and vice-versa and so, the two got into extreme animosity with each other. And it ended only with Shiva liberating the two of them.
A person who has fault in the planetary positions of Rahu-Ketu has often a life full of worries and stress and he/she goes through many ups and downs in financial, personal and official issues. And the person may be laden with many problems and not able to figure out the cause for the same. The issue can only be found out by a professional astrologer and the person is surely found to be gripped with Kaal Sarp Yoga. The best treatment for the problem is the Sarpdosh Puja performed at the Sri Kalahasti temple where the puja can be performed in the presence of Lord Shiva. In the presence of Lord Shiva, the problem gets obliterate because of his divine power and enlightens every aspect of the person’s presence.
Most astrologers advise to perform the pooja during the Rahu Kalam which last for a time period of around 45 minutes. For the pooja at the temple there are three ticketing options available which are as follows:
1. Rs. 300 Ticket: For the people availing this ticket the pooja will be done in a large hall present outside the premises of the temple.
2. Rs. 750 Ticket: The Pariharam Pooja is done in this case, in the nearby place to the main temple inside an air-conditioned hall consisting of the Shiva Sannishi.
3. Rs. 1500 Ticket: This one is the VIP tickets of all the three and in this case the Pariharam Pooja will be done inside the temple.
There are various stories associated with the sacrifice by the devotees of Lord Shiva for showing their devotion and respect for Shiva.
Story 1
As per many Hindu scriptures the temple is associated with the story of the three ardent devotees of Lord Shiva. The name Sri kalahasti itself is derived from the name of all three devotees; Sri has been taken from spider, kala from serpent and Hasti from Elephant. It is believed that all the three were ardent worshippers of Lord Shiva and they offered pooja to Lord Shiva in their own way. While the elephant offered Abhishek to Lord Linga with water which he used to bring from the nearby river, the spider used to wrap around the linga, the strong thread so as to protect it from getting deteriorated. The Serpent on the other hand used to decorate the lingam by placing Naga Manikyam, his dear stone near the lingam. Once, while each of the three were trying to do the pooja in their own way, they crossed each other’s path and the elephant considered the method of worshipping of the spider is disrespectful and so, he splashed the thread the spider had weaved with his trunk full of water. At the act of elephant, the serpent and spider got angry and to take revenge the serpent entered the trunk of the elephant and spread its venom. The rage continued and the elephant smashed its trunk against the lingam and killed the serpent and in between the fight the spider also dies. Lastly the elephant dies because of the effect of the poison on its whole body. Looking at the sacrifice of his devotees, Lord Shiva was very much pleased and he gave salvation to elephant and the serpent while the spider got rebirth as King to serve the divine task.
Story 2
The other story associated with the temple is that of Sri kannappa Swamy who was an enthusiastic devotee of Lord Shiva. It is believed that once, he saw blood coming out of the eyes of the Lord Shiva and so in reaction to that and to stop the flow of blood, he took out his one eye and placed it onto that of the lingam. Then, he was stopped by Lord Shiva, when he was about to tear down his other eye. Lord Shiva then gave him Divya Darshan as he had already passed the divine test of the almighty.
On the key festivals celebrated at the temple is Mahashivaratri which occurs in the Maasi month which occurs from 15th February to 15thMarch. The fifth day of the Massi month coincides with Mahashivaratri. During the celebration of the festival the pooja of the deities are performed with zeal and enthusiasm.
The nearest airport to the Kalahasti temple is Tirupati airport which 30 km from the temple and is also the most convenient route. Tirupati is also endowed with several lodging facilities which make it even more convenient. Kalahasti is very well connected with Chennai and Tirupati and so a one day trip to the temple form Chennai is a feasible idea. A proper planning can easily let you cover Tirupati, Tirumala and Kalahasti in one day trip from Chennai by road.
6:00 AM to 9:00 PM
DISTANCE OF THE TEMPLE FROM BUS STAND AND RAILWAY STATIONFrom RTC Bus Stand – 36 kms
From Tripura Railway Station – 36.5 kms
