Youtube Link: https://youtu.be/iOi-BRZun6k
Location: “Srikalahasti, Andhra Pradesh”
Reference: https://www.abhibus.com/blog/srikalahasti-temple/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Srikalahasteeswara_temple
Srikalahasti is a town in Tirupati
district located in the Indian state of Andhra
Pradesh. It is a municipality and
the revenue division of Srikalahasti mandal and Srikalahasti revenue division. It is
a part of the Tirupati Urban Development Authority,
which is located on the banks of the River
Swarnamukhi.
Srikalahasti, derives its name from the combination of
the Sanskrit words
Sri (spider), Kala (snake) and Hasti (elephant), which once worshipped
the Shiva lingam here and attained moksha.
Legend
As per legend, Vayu and Adishesha had
a dispute to find out who is superior. To prove their superiority, Adishesha
encircled Mount Kailash, Vayu tried to disentangle him by
creating a vortex. The vortex resulted in eight parts from Kailash fell into
eight different places which are Trincomalee,
Srikalahasti, Tiruchirappalli, Thiruenkoimalai, Rajathagiri, Neerthagiri, Ratnagiri,
and Swethagiri Thirupangeeli.
Srikalahasti is a temple town, where, a walk down the
streets, one finds a temple in every corner. The city is 24 hours lively and
throughout day and night, devotees and pilgrims flock the temple town to have
darshan of Srikalahasteesvara (Lord Shiva).
The temple
Sri Kalahastheeswara Swami Vari
Temple is one of the most ancient and historical Saivet temple in India. Vayu
is incarnated as Lord Siva and worshipped as Kalahastheeswara.
Goddess Parvathi Devi is worshiped
here as Gnanaprasunambika. The temple is located at Sri kalahasti, Chittoor
District Andhra Pradesh. The vast west facing Kalahastheeswara temple is built
adjoining a hill, and on the banks of the river Swarnamukhi. At some points,
the hill serves as the wall of the temple. The temple prakarams follow the
contour of the adjoining hill and hence the temple plan is rather irregular.
North of the temple is the Durgambika hill, south is the Kannappar hill and
east is the Kumaraswamy hill.
Rahu-ketu Pooja is very much famous in Sri kalahasti. Rahu
ketu Pooja will be performed during Rahu kalam timings. Ancient Tamil sources
refer to Sri Kalahasti as the ‘Kailas of the South’ for slightly more than two
thousand years and the small river on whose banks it sits, the ‘Ganges of the
South.’ Kailas is perhaps India’s most revered spiritual symbol.
The Vedas posit four ends for which human beings strive in
their search for happiness: pleasure (kama), security or wealth (artha), duty
(dharma) and freedom (moksha). In the temple at Kalahasti these four universal
motivations, which may take any worldly form, are, according to temple
literature, converted into spiritual impulses. They are represented by four
deities facing in the four cardinal directions. Shiva in the form of
Dakshinamoorthy represents desire, in this case the desire for liberation,
although he more commonly is said to represent the feeling of wealth (dakshina)
that comes when you know who you really are. At Kalahasti the Goddess
Gnanaprasoonamba (the giver of knowledge or the mother of all knowledge)
represents the ‘wealth’ i.e. freedom from limitation conferred by
Self-knowledge.
The deity Kalahastheeswara (the lord of Kalahasti) faces
west and symbolizes liberation. Liberation, the death of ego upon the
rediscovery of the Self, is the final stage of life
The Telugu poem 'Sri Kalahasti Satakam' explains the
traditions associated with this temple.
According to regional tradition, it is said to be the site
where Kannappa* was
ready to offer both his eyes to cover blood flowing from the Shivalinga before Shiva stopped him and
granted him moksha.
The temple is revered as one of the Pancha Bhoota Stalam where the
presiding deity is worshipped as Vayu linga (the
embodiment of air). This temple is considered the "Kailash of
the South". Saivaite saints of the first century sang about this
temple. This is the only temple in India which remains open during Solar and
lunar eclipses, while, all other temples are closed. This temple is famous
for the Rahu-Kethu pooja. It is believed that performing this pooja will ward
the people from astrological effects of Rahu and Kethu, the demigods which
cause eclipses. Kalahasteeshwara was worshipped at this place by Brahma during
all four Yugas. Arjuna,
the Pandava prince
during Mahabharata is believed to have worshipped
the presiding deity.
Srikalahasti temple, situated 36 km away from Tirupati, is famous for its Vayu Lingam (Wind
Lingam), one of the Pancha Bhuta Sthalams, representing the
wind.
Strictly no photography is allowed anywhere inside the
temple. It’s a complete no photography zone. Even mobiles are not allowed.
Shiva in the form of Linga is made of
white stone (believed to be the solidification of camphor) in a tall
cylindrical shape resembling an elephant trunk. The stone is divided into
5 segments. The lingam is lit by many lamps in the sanctum. Miraculously, the
lingam never caught fire even though camphor is a flammable substance. The
temple faces south, while the sanctum faces west. The temple is located on the
foothills of a hill, while there is also a belief that the temple was carved
out of the monolithic hill. There is a rock-cut shrine of Shiva's son Ganesha,
9 ft (2.7 m) below the ground level. Vallabha Ganapathi,
Mahalakshmi-Ganpathi and Sahasra Lingeswara are some of the rare images found
in the temple. There is a large shrine of Jnanaprasunambika, the consort of
Kalahatisvara. There are smaller shrines in the temple for Kasi
Viswanatha, Annapurna, Surya, Sadyoganapathi and
Shiva's second son Kartikeya. There are two large halls namely Sadyogi Mandapa
and Jalkoti Mandapa. There are two water tanks associated with the temple
namely, Surya Pushkarani and Chandra Pushkarani
The temple is architectural magnificence. As much as the
architecture from outside is a brilliance following a typical Dravidian style,
so is the brilliance in the walls, artefacts and the sculptures in the
interior, which I am afraid, no one is allowed to shoot. The temple complex is
one of the largest and the interior mandapa is massive, with a big prakharam
outside the mandapa.
The temple was established in 5th century and
later renovated by Rajendra Chola I around 11th century CE. The
towering gopurams were constructed by Kotulunga Chola (located in the south in
the entrance) around 11th century. The temple received contributions from
various ruling dynasties like Chola Dynasty, Reddi kingdom and Vijayanagar Empire. The 120 feet (37 m)
high main gopuram and
the hundred pillared hall with intricate carvings was commissioned during the
regime of the Vijayanagara Krishnadevaraya during
1516 CE.
The main gopuram, built by king Krishnadevaraya,
collapsed on 26 May 2010. As per the Archaeology Department, the temple
tower stood on a foundation that had a depth of only one-and-a-half feet and
had a thin crack 25 years before it collapsed which expanded as years passed
by.The Rajagopuram was reconstructed in its original form at the same location
and was consecrated on 18 January 2017.
Legend
Vayu performed
penance for thousands of years to the Karpoora Lingam, the lingam of Shiva made of camphor.
Shiva manifested before him after getting pleased and gav three boons. 1) To be
present everywhere in the world in form of air 2) To be an integral part of every being in
form of vayus 3) Naming the linga (which Vayu worshipped) as Vayu
lingam and to be worshipped by various beings.
Another legend says: Parvati asked
Shiva to teach her the secret of the Shiva
Panchakshari Mantra angrily. Shiva became angry and through a curse
discarded converting her into a human form in earth. To get relieved of the
curse, Parvati did penance at Srikalahasti, to which Shiva graneted her a
heavenly body. This time parvati’s form was much more beautiful than ealier.
Shiva also apologized to her and provide her the secret of the Shiva
Panchkshari. After this she is worshipped as Gnana Prasunambika devi in the
temple.
Ghanakala was once cursed by shiva to become a ghost after
which he prayed at Srikalahasti for 15 years and after chanting the Bhairava
Mantra, upon which Shiva restored her original form.
Mayura, Chandra and Indra were cursed to
become a spider, snake and elephant respectively. They sought atonement after
taking bath in the river Swarnamukhi and praying at Srikalahasti.
Shiva appeared before the sage Markandeya in
Srikalahasti and preached that a Guru alone could make esoteric teachings and,
therefore he is Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.
Temple secrets
Mystical lightings:
The temple is renowned for its unusual lighting of the shiva linga which is
said to be illuminated by an internal light source believed to be divine.
Poojas for planetary
doshas: Many believe that specific rituals performed here can alleviate
planetary doshas and bring harmony in life.
* In South Indian traditions, Kannappa is
a devotee of the Hindu god Shiva. His story is closely connected with
the Srikalahasteeswara Temple in Andhra Pradesh. He is
a saint in
the Saiva Siddhanta tradition.
Originally a hunter, Kannappa offered his
devotion to a Siva Lingam by
making simple offerings and eventually sacrificing one of his eyes. As he prepared
to offer the second, Shiva appeared and stopped him.
Famous festivals:
1)
Maha shivaratri
2)
Brahmotsavam
How to Reach:
By Road: Approximately 36 KMs from
Tirupati, 110 KMs from Chennai and 500 KMs from Hyderabad, the temple is very
nicely connected by road through various bus services from all major places to
the Srikalahasti bus stand. Andhra Pradesh state-owned bus services APSRTC
operates buses from Tirupati, Chittoor and Nellore.
By Train: Srikalahasti railway station is located on the Gudur–Katpadi branch line section of
Guntakal (GTL) Division of the South Central Railway (SCR).
By Air: Tirupati
Airport is located 25 km from the town.
Timings:
Monday to
Sunday: 6:00 am to 12:30 pm and 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Parking and
Photography
There is a
huge parking, and while entry to the city, parking tickets are given which are
valid for 24 hours.
Photography
is strictly prohibited inside the temple with even mobiles being not allowed.
Always remember the exit is on the other side than the entrance and you will
have to come back to the main side to get your shoes.
Nearby Places to visit:
1)
Sri
Kalahasti Wildlife sanctuary.
2)
SriVedanarayanaSwamyTemple,
Nagalapuram
3)
SriValeeshwaraTemple.
Nagalapuram (RamagiriMurugan)
4)
Kalyana
Venkatesa Mandapam, Narayanavaram
5)
Lord
Shiva Temple, Puttur
6)
Tirupati
Venkateshwara Swamy Temple
7)
Papavinasam
Teertham
8)
Valluvar
Kottam
9)
Silathoranam
(natural rock formation in Tirumala Hills)
10) Mypadu Beach
11) Rockfort Temple
12) Shri Padmavati Ammavari Temple
13) Chandragiri Fort, Tirupati
14) Breezy Beach
15) Shri Ranganathaswamy Temple,
Nellore
16) Narasimha swamy temple, Nellore
17) Japali Teertham,
18) Nellapttu Bird Sanctuary
19) Elliot’s beach
20) Penchalakona Temple
21) Sri Govinda Raja swamy temple
22) Kapaleeshwarar Temple, Chennai
23) Kapila Teertham
24) Akasaganga Teertham
25) Venkatagiri Fort
Stay options:
The temple
town has ample staying options including 4-star facilities as well as small
hotels and lodges.