Srikalahasti is one of the Pancha Bootha Sthalam and ,
represents the Vayu Sthalam. This temple is located in Chittoor district in
Andhra pradesh. SriKalahasthi temple is situated 36kms away from Tirupathi and
it is the only shrine for the God of Vayu . This temple was constructed by the
Chola King, Rajendra Chola. Vayu is incarnated as Lord Shiva and worshipped as
Kalahasteeswara. Goddess Parvathi devi is worshiped here as Gnanaprasunambika.
Srikalahasti temple is also associated with Rahu and Ketu, (of
the nine grahams or celestial bodies in the Indian astrological scheme). Sri
Kalahasti Temple is also famous for performing poojas for Sarpa, Rahu, Ketu
Doshas.The temple is considered as the Kailash of the south or Dakshin Kailash.
Vishwakarma brahmin Sthapthis was the one who sculpted this temple. This temple
features an enormous, ancient Gopuram over the main gate. The entire temple is
carved out of the side of a huge stone hill. The temple is surrounded by two
sacred hills, The Durgamba temple is found on the northern hill, while Kannappa
Nayanar temple on the southern hill. It is found on the banks of the river
Swarna Mukhi.
The Lingam here is swayambu , and it is white in color. The Main lingam
is untouched by the human beings , even by the priest. Abhishekam is done by
pouring a mixture of water , milk, camphor and panchamrita. Sandal paste ,
flowers, and the sacred thread are offered to the Uthsava murthi , not the main
Lingam.
There is a lamp inside the inner sanctum that is constantly flickering despite
the lack of air movement inside. The air can be observed even when the priests
close the main deity room, which does not have any windows. When all the lamps
in the sanctum glow steadily, one can notice two lamps flickering now and then,
proving the Lord's inhalation and
exhalation.
This ancient Sri Kalahasti temple dedicated to Lord Siva is one of the five
Panchabhootha stalams (temples celebrating Lord Siva as the embodiment of the
five primary elements), air (wind) being the element in this case the other
elements being water at (Thiruvanaikaval), fire at (Annamalaiyar Temple), earth
at (Ekambareswarar Temple) and space at (Chidambaram Temple) that Siva
embodies.
According to ancient Tamil sources Sri Kalahasti has been
known 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 Indias most revered spiritual symbol. It is the abode of Shiva,
from whose head, according to legend, the Ganges is said to flow. Shiva, that
which is auspicious at all places, times and in all circumstances is a symbol
of the Self and the Ganges flowing from his head represents the spiritualized
or awakened mind. A mind sourced in Spirit is a river of immeasurable power and
life giving goodness. The claim that Kalahasti is the Kailas of the South simply means that the small hill near the temple is to be taken as the
spiritual equivalent of the Himalayan Kailas. Likewise, the small river flowing
in a northerly direction beside the temple is to be taken as the mighty Ganges.
Even
the cardinal directions have assumed symbolic significance in Pauranic culture.
Obviously context should be taken into account when divining the meaning of a
symbol, but north, for example, is said to be the abode of the Self because
from the immortal northern position the Self looks out on the southern world of time and death. The idiom to head south means to go downhill, to
decay. The God Dakshinamurthy whose name means the one facing south and whose
idol (murthy) is installed in the Kalahasti Temple, sits in the North and faces
south. East often represents the dawning of wisdom, the sun being another
common Self symbol. The symbolic use of direction culminates in the idea of
building temples at the point on a river where its meandering points it back to
its source. The holiest city in India, Benaras, is built on a stretch of the
Ganges that flows northward, the idea being that when the mind turns back
toward its source, the God/Self, it realizes its innate divinity. So, the small
river on whose banks the Kalahasthi temple is situated is meant to remind us of
the Ganges and the wealth of spiritual associations it conjures.
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 that is freedom
from limitation conferred by Self knowledge. The deity Kalahastishwara (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 just as
setting is the sun?s last act before it disappears over the horizon.
The Tamil
Cholas and the Vijayanagara Rulers have made several endowments to this temple.
Adi Sankara is said to have visited this temple and offered worship here. There
are Chola inscriptions in this temple which date back to the 10th century CE.
The Telugu poem Sri Kalahasti Satakam explains the traditions associated with
this temple. Muthuswamy Deekshitar, one of the foremost composers in the
Karnatic Music Tradition has sung the glory of this temple in his kriti Sree
Kaalahasteesa.
GAALI GOPURAM:
Krishnadevaraya built a huge gopuram in 1516, a few feet
away from the entrance to the temple. The entrance to the temple is crowned
with a smaller tower. There is an underground Ganapati shrine in the outer
prakaram, while in the innermost prakaram are the shrines of Shiva and Parvati.
This ancient gopuram over the main gate, which is 36.5 meters (120 feet) high
and the entire temple is carved.
The vast west facing Kalahastiswara 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.
Architecture:
The present structure of the temple is a foundation of the Cholas of the 10th
century, as testified by inscriptions; improvements and additions were made
during the subsequent years of the Chola rulers of Tamilnadu and the
Vijayanagar emperors.
SriKalahasti got its name because in days of yore a spider
(sri), serpent (kala) and elephant (hasti) elephant worshipped Shiva with great
devotion. A spider lived in the inner sanctum and worshipped the Lord by
weaving elaborate temples and images of Shiva. One day a breeze came up and
caused the altar fire to destroy the spider?s offerings. It became angry and
was about to gulp down the flame, (realize the Self) endangering its (egos)
life. Appreciative of its devotion, Shiva appeared and granted the spider a
boon. The spider requested moksha, release from the cycle of births and deaths.
Accordingly it became one with Shiva, the Self.
A cobra
worshipped Lord Shiva by offering rare gems, pearls and rubies that it brought
from Nagaland, a mythical place where Nagas (serpents) dwell. Serpents are one
of Indias most visible symbols of the spiritual power of the Self. The
spiritual power of the Self, called Kundalini, the latent electricity of
Consciousness, is hidden in the dark recesses of the unconscious like a snake
hidden deep within the earth. After the snake had worshipped, an elephant,
fresh from its purifying bath in the nearby river, came to worship. In
preparation it sprayed the altar with water from its trunk, scattering the
gems. It then proceeded to decorate the altar with leaves from a holy tree.
When the cobra returned it was angered to see its offerings disrespected and
replaced by mere leaves. So it replaced the leaves with gems. This charade
repeated itself every day until the cobra became fed up and decided to punish
whomever was destroying its offerings. When the elephant returned to worship
with its leaves the cobra slithered up its trunk and injected its venom. In
agony the elephant dashed its head on the stone altar in an attempt to kill the
snake. The snake fell out of the trunk and died from its wounds and the
elephant succumbed to the poison. Understanding that both had sacrificed their
lives for the sake of their love of the Lord, Shiva resurrected them, gave them
liberation and took them into his own body. At the foot of the linga one can
see a spider, two elephant tusks and a five-headed (the five elements) serpent
to remind the devotee of these acts of supreme devotion.
This temple itself is a great architectural piece of art.
Spend some time exploring the temple. You can see that the inside pillars are
fresh as they were hundreds of years back because they were hidden from
degradation by nature.
PATHALA GANAPATHI:
By the way, do not forget to see the Pathala Ganapathi who is associated with
the old Sivalingam beneath the temple. You cannot see the Old SivaLingam
(related to the old Story of SriKalaHasti) beneath the temple but you can
imagine it (and the real story) when you see the Lord Ganapathi.Patala Ganapati
is a small underground temple located in the temple complex. Pilgrims should
make it a point to visit this interesting place. One has to bow down carefully
to worship this Ganapati 20 feet below on a very narrow staircase.
ANOTHER ONE IS KANAPPA:
At Sri Kalahasti, Lord Shiva tested the unshakable devotion of Kanna (Later
became Bhaktha Kannappa) before the sages gathered at SriKalahasti. With his
divine power, Lord Shiva created a tremor and the roof tops of the temple began
to fall. All the sages ran away from the scene except Kannappa who covered the
linga with his body to prevent it from any damage.
In another incident, Kannappa plucked out one of his eyes and placed in the eye
of Linga which was oozing with blood and tears. When the tears and the blood
were still trickling from another eye, Kannappa decided to remove his second
eye and placed one of his feet on the spot of the right eye of the Shiva Linga.
Before he could pull out his second eye with the arrow, Lord Shiva appeared and
restored his eye while granting him a boon to occupy a place close to him.
According to Swami Sivanandas book,
Sixty-Three Nayanar Saints, some Saivite traditions believe that Kannappa
was the reincarnation of Arjuna. Arjuna, worshipped Siva for seeking the
Pasupatha Astra and failed to recognize Him in the form of a hunter. Thus,
according to this tradition, Arjuna had to be born as a hunter and adore the
Lord before attaining final liberation.
Moolavar: Kalathiappar, Kalatheeswarar
Amman / Thayar: Gnanaparasunambikai, Gnanapoongothai,Gnanasundari
Thala Virutcham: Vilwa
Theertham: River Ponmuhali (also Swarnamukhi river)
Old year: 2000-3000 years old
Historical Name: Seekalathi
City: Kalahasthi
This temple itself is a great architectural piece of art.
Spend some time exploring the temple. You can see that the inside pillars are
fresh as they were hundreds of years back because they were hidden from
degradation by nature.
The physical and spiritual beauty of the temple because the
inner temple was constructed around 5th century and the outer temple was
constructed in the 12th Century by the Chola kings and the Vijayanagara kings. Vayu is incarnated as Lord Shiva and worshiped as Kalahasteeswara.
In the outer temple, as soon as you enter the temple gates
(after the shops)on your left you will see the old idol of SriGnanaprasunambikaDevi (the original one) which was placed outside due to some reasons. Still
lot of people pray to it.
The main linga remains untouched by human hands, even the priests do not touch
it. Abhishek (bathing) is done by pouring a mixture of water, milk, camphor and
panchamrita. Sandal paste, flowers and the sacred thread are offered to the
utsava-murti, and not the main linga. It has an enormous, ancient gopuram over
the main gate, which is 36.5 meters (120 feet) high and the entire temple is
carved.
Festivals:
Maha Shivaratri which occurs in the Tamil month
of Maasi (Feb 15 through March 15) is one of the greatest festival seasons
here, and the celebrations are marked by processions of the deities. The fifth
day of the festival in the month of Maasi coincides with the Maha Shivaratri.
The Sivarathri Brahmotsavam is a 12 day festival of great importance that
attracts lakhs of people from various parts of our country. Mahasivarathri,
Nandi Seva, Lingodbhavam, Rathotsavam, Teppotsavam & Sri Swami-Ammavarla
Kalyanotsavam are the important aspects of this festival.
Thirukarthigai in (November-December), Oonjal festival on all
Fridays, Makara Sankranthi (Pongal) in January and Giri Valam on Shivrathri
day.
Of the nine planets, Kalahasthis importance is attached to
Rahu and Ketu (Dragons tail and head respectively) those afflicted with the
adverse effects of these planets and problems related to snakes, pray for
relief here.
After fulfillment of the prayers, devotees perform Abhishek
to the Lord, offer Vasthras (clothes) and also offer donation for the
maintenance of the temple depending on their affordability.
The temple is open from 5.00 a.m. to 12.00 a.m. and 5.00 p.m. to 9.00 p.m.
Sri Kalathiappar Temple, Kalahasthi, Andhra Pradesh.
Contact
number - +91 8578 222 240
Sri Subrahmanya Swamy Temple:
Sri Subrahmanya Swamy Temple, devoted to Lord Murugan, is located in the center
of the Srikalahasti town. The Aadi Krithika festival is the major festival
celebrated in this temple. This festival is celebrated for 8 days, when Lord
Subrahmanya Swamy and his consorts Sri Valli and Devasena are taken out for a
procession on different vahanams.The Aadi Krithika festival concludes with
Theppotsavam and Kalyanotsavam that are conducted on 7th and 8th dayrespectively.
Prasanna Varadaraja Swamy Temple:
In this temple Lord Venkateswara Swamy is worshipped as Prasanna Varadaraja
Swamy. This temple is one of the prominent temples located near the
Srikalahasti Temple and in the midst of the Srikalahasti town.
Bharadwaja Tirtham:
Bharadwaja Tirtham is situated east of the Srikalahasti temple, amidst three
hills. There is a sannidhi of Panchamukheswara on the hill top, along with some
ancient sculptures. It is believed that during the Krita Yuga, Maharishi
Bharadwaja meditated at this site. There is also a small statue of Lord
Vinayaka at this theertham.
Durgamma Temple:
Durgambika temple, dedicated to Goddess Durgambika, is one of the ancient temples
in Srikalahasti. There are broad steps in the hillock that lead to the shrine
of Goddess Durgambika. It is located near the Srikalahasti temple.
Sahasra Linga Temple:
Sahasra Linga temple has 1000 Shiva Lingas enshrined within
a single shrine.It is located in the 8kms from Srikalahasti. It lies in the
middle of a forest, with a hill in its backdrop. It is an interesting place and
there is a water falls which is flowing from the top of the hills and the water
flowing there has many medicinal values which can cure skin diseases.
Thondamanadu Sri Venkateshwara Swamy Temple:
Thondamanadu Sri Venkateshwara Swamy temple was constructed by Thondaman
Chakravarthy, brother of Sri Padmavathi Ammavaru. This temple is located 10 kmaway from the main Srikalahasti temple and is the sole temple in the region
which has Lord Venkateshwara along with His consorts, Sri Lakshmi Devi and
Padmavathi Ammavaru.
Gudimallam:
Gudimallam is a historical temple in the Srikalahasti Mandal which lies close
to the Renigunta Railway Station. A Shiva Linga, discovered between the 1st
century and 2nd century BC, is installed in the garbhagriha of the
Parasurameswara Temple. The main temple sanctum is situated at a lower level as
compared to the main floor level of the Mukhamantapa and Antarala.
Legends believe that the Shiva Linga in the temple is a manifestation of
Trimurti, with Shiva on the top, Vishnu in the middle and Brahma at the bottom.
It is located 28 kms from Srikalahasti.
Brahma Temple:
Chaturmukeshvara temple has an idol of Lord Shiva with four faces and has
bas relief carvings. At this temple, Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva are both
worshipped. According to a legend, this is the place where Lord Brahma regained
His ability to create after He pleaded forgiveness from Lord Shiva for getting
rid of His Sisihathya sins.
Do:
- Do pray your Ishta Devata before pilgrimage to Temple.
- Do contact Temple Devasthanam information centre for enquiry, temple information and for Pooja details etc.
- Do reserve your travel and accommodation at Temple well in advance.
- Do bath and wear clean clothes before you enter the temple.
- Do concentrate on God and Goddess inside the temple.
- Do maintain silence and recite Om Namahsivaya or your Istamantram to yourself inside the temple.
- Do observe ancient custom and traditions while in Temple.
- Do respect religious sentiments at Temple.
- Do deposit your offerings in the hundi only.
Don't s:
- Do not come to Temple for any purpose other than worshipping of God and Goddess.
- Do not smoke at Temple.
- Do not consume alcoholic drinks at Temple.
- Do not eat non-vegetarian food in the Kshetram.
- Do not approach mediators for quick Darshanam. It may cause inconvenient to others.
- Do not carry any weapon inside the temple.
- Do not wear any head guards like helmets, caps, turbans and hats inside the temple premises.
- Do not perform Sastanga Pranama inside the Sanctum Sanctorum.
- Do not take much time while performing Sparsa Darshanam to God in Garbhagriha.
- Do not buy spurious prasadams from street vendors.
- Do not encourage beggars at Temple.
- Do not spit or create nuisance in the premises of the temple.
Temple Pedia
Devotion
Statues & Paintings
Fashion & Jewellery
