1. Bharadwaja Thirtham: It is situated to the east of Sri Kalahasthi temple. It is amidst three hills. It is a pilgrim centre. To the south of the temple, atop a hill there is the sannidhi of Panchamukheswara. Some sculptures can be seen there. Maharishi Bharadwaja is said to have meditated here in the Krtha Yuga.
2. Suka Brahmaashramam: Bhakta Kannappa hospital, and westward from the temple, Kumaraswami temple. Varadarajasami temple in the centre of the town and Chakreshwara temple are some of the important places.
3. Dhakshina kailasam : (The hill with thousand lingas): Here there is a big linga on which thousand lingas can be seen. It is located about 7 km south of Sri Kalahasthi
4. Durgamba Temple : North of the temple is the Durgambika hill it is located with in wakable distance from Srikalahasti Temple it is famous hill In the season of Navaratri(Dasara), as per the history the main worship was installed by Adi sankaracharya.
5. Sri Subrahmanya Swami Temple : Ease of the temple is the Subrahmanya Swami. The worship situated on a hill which is in wakable distance from Srikalahasti Temple.
6. Sri Kalika mata Temple : Here the main worship named as Kalika mata the worship is around a pleasant nature. It is located at Vedam Village about 5 Kms south from Srikalahasti.
7. Sri Prasanna Varadaraja swami Temple : At the center to Srikalahasti the worship Sri Prasanna varadaraja Swami situated.
8. Other temples : Also other temples like Mutyalamma Temple, Manikhanteswara Temple, Bangaramma Temple, Ponnalamma Temple are located in Srikalahasti, And Neela Khanteswara swami Temple, Chennakeswara Swami temple are located in Urandur Village 2 Km from Srikalahasti.
Other places to visit
Tirthas
1. Harahar Tirtham, which is three miles from Kalahasti
2. Kalinga Tirtham, which is five miles from Kalahasti towards the east
3. Sahasra Linga Tirtham which is five miles southwest of Kalahasti
4. Markandeya Tirtham, six and a half miles from Sahasra Linga Tirtham
5. Mayura Tirtharn, named after Mayura Maharshi
6. Bharadwaja Tirtham, which is three and a half miles from the main temple
7. Narada Tirtham in the entree of the town
8. Saraswati Tirtham, which is said to have the property of making the dumb people speak if they take the water of this as Prasada for forty days
9. Suka Tirtharn after Suka Maharshi
10. Brahma Tirtham
11. Manikarnika Tirtharn
Kannappa
There is another very interesting and devotional legend connected with Kalahasti, namely the story of a great Saivite Bhakta called Kannappa. Kannappa was a hunter who was called Tinnappa before he became a saint, and be lived in the forest hunting animals. He was a great Bhakta of the Lord, and he used to offer the flesh of the animals to the Lord first as sacrament after tasting if they were good enough to be offered to the Lord. To test his sincerity and devotion, the Lord one day made it appear as if water was dropping from the eye of the Lingam. Tinnappa. Thought that some one had harmed the Lord, and immediately without any hesitation removed one of his own eyes and offered it to the Lord in place of the one from which water was flowing. The water from the eye of the Lord stopped at once. After some time Tinnappa noticed that the other eye of the Lord was also affected. He at once began to remove his other eye also to offer it to the Lord as he did with his first.Since on removal of both his eyes he would become blind, and would not be able to locate the Lord's eye, he with his left foot marked the place of the Lord's eye, so that by feeling the eye of the Lord with his leg he could locate the exact spot where the Lord's eye was and replace it with his own eye. At that time the Lord, pleased with the strength of his devotion, gave him Darsan and restored his eyesight and also gave him the name "Kannappa," that is, one who gave his eyes to the Lord. Pleased with his devotion the Lord also ordained that be should be near the Lingam permanently.
Therefore we find the idol of Kannappa near the Lingam and Pujas are first offered to him and then only to the Lord. On the top of the hill there is another temple of Kannappa Nayanar.
Legend of Sri-Kala-Hasti
Sri Kalahasti is named after the staunch devotees of Lord Shiva. They were the Spider (Sri), the Serpent (Kala) and the Elephant (Hasti). Appeased with their unflinching devotion, Lord Shiva gave them a boon that their names be merged with the Vayulinga and called as Sri Kalahasteeswara.
According to Hindu mythology, the elephant (Hasti) used to clean the Shiva deity by watering the idol with the help of river-water carried in his trunks and pray for him by placing Bilva leaves. The spider (Sri) tried to protect the deity from external damage by weaving his web and to provide shelter for the Shiva lingam. The snake (Kala) used to place its precious gem on the linga to adorn the lord. In this way, they all worshipped the Vayu linga separately without knowing what the other was doing.
One day, the spider had built a very big and thick web around the deity to protect it from dust and weather while the snake places its gem. The elephant not knowing this and assuming that this form of puja by Sri and Kala is a desecration by the seeming miscreants, pours water on it and cleans it up. This causes a war between the three. The snake punishes the elephant by entering its trunk and in the process kills itself while the elephant runs amok and hits its trunk and head against the shiva linga. During this struggle, the spider is squashed against the linga by the elephant's trunk and the elephant dies due to the snake's poison. Lord Shiva then appeared and gave moksha to all three of them for their selfless devotion. Lord Siva gave Mukti to all the above three, being satisfied with their devotion, and hence it is that the Kshetra is called Sri Kalahasti. The Linga contains in it traces of these three also.
Goddess (Gnana Prasunambika devi Ammavaru)
The Goddess here is called Gnana Prasannamba and is said to be the sister of Lord Venkateswara. of Tirupati. who was cursed by Lord Shiva to discard her heavenly body and assume the human form. To get rid off the above curse Parvati did a long penance here. Pleased with her deep devotion Lord Shiva again restored her body - a hundred times better than her previous heavenly body and initiated various mantras including the Panchakshari. Consequent of this, Parvati gained Shiva-Gnanam.
So she is called Gnana Prasannamba, because she bestows Gnana. or the Supreme knowledge of reality, on those who worship her with devotion. She was the first to inform Indra, king of Devatas, of the nature of Parabrabma and hence she is so named. There is a small story about this in the Gnana Upanishad.
Sacred spot of Goddess Jnana Prasunambika signifies Jalandhara. It is said that she also represents an aspect of Santanalakshmi. Legend has it that Lord Vishnu had created 108 sacred spots devoted to Sakti with the Sudarshana chakra.When Satidevi gave up her body in the fire during Daksha's Yajna and Lord Siva was carrying her body on his shoulder, Lord Vishnu with his Sudarshana chakra divided the body into 108 parts and the places where these fell have, it is believed, transformed into these 108 sacred spots. It is said that the skull portion was brought by Vishnu to Sri Kalahasthi in Dakshin.
God Shiva (Vayu Lingeswara swami varu)
The main Lingam has a pedestal and is in the shape of the trunk of an elephant with tusks on either side or a figure of the spider at the bottom. Looked at from the top, it presents the appearance of a snake with five hoods. The name of the spider is 'Sri', the serpent is called 'Kala' and the elephant is called 'Hasti'. Hence these three forms combined into one goes by the name, Srikalahasti which is held to be one of the Panchabhutalingas of the South. As stated above, the Pancha Bhutas is the Earth, the Water, the Fire, the Wind, and the Ether. Corresponding to these there are five Lingas, which are worshipped, in five famous Kshetras of which Kalahasti is one, representing the element of Vayu. The Pancha Bhuta Kshetras are Kanchipuram representing Prithvi or earth, the Jambukeswara representing Appu or water, Arunachala representing Tejas or light, Sri Kalahasti representing Vayu or air, and Chidambaram representing Akash or ether. There is a light in the innermost Garbhagriha of the temple, which is always flickering, as if it is being blown by wind, even though there are no holes or windows anywhere there. This is said to represent the Vayu element from which the temple is derived.
The main Lingam in the shrine is untouched till today even by the priest. Abhisheka is being performed with Panchakarpura, or camphor mixed with water, milk and Panchamruta. The Linga is said to be Swayambu or selfmanifest and hence has not been touched by human hand up to now. Even this Panchakarpura Abhisheka to the main Linga is to be performed only by the priests belonging to Bharadwaja Gotra of Apastambha Sutra and who have undergone the prescribed Diksha initiation in the temple. Flowers, sandal paste and the sacred thread are being offered only to the Utsava murthy but not to the main Linga.
History of Architecture
This temple is one of the most impressive Siva temples in India. Vishwakarma brahmin Sthapthis who sculpted this temple need to be eulogized for their excellent architectural cognizance
The Temple was built the temple at the foot of Kailasagiri. Kings and later by Tondaman Chakravarti. The Chola kings renovated and built the main temple. Kulottunga Chola, the great Chola king, superintended an enormous, ancient gopuram (entrance tower) over the main gate The tower is 36.5m (120 ft) high now its being called as “Galigopuram”, Which is the main entrance facing south, in the Eleventh Century A.D. In the Twelfth Century A.D., King Veeranarasimha Yadavaraya built the present outer Prakaras, and the four Gopurams connecting the four entrances of the temple.
The Vijayanagar rulers developed the Mantapams inside the temple and, from an inscription of Krishandevaraya, we find that be built in 1516 A.D. the Hundred Pillared Mantapam and the Galigopuram, which are facing west t o east. Sri Achutaraya, of the Vijayanagar dynasty, got his ceremony performed in the presence of Lord Kalahastiswara in 1529 A.D., before he finally celebrated it for the third and last time at Vijayanagar, his capital City. Finally, the Natukottai Chettiars of Devakottai who are famous for their charity gave the final shape to the temple in 1912 at a cost of nearly nine lakes of rupees. Tamil saints Nayanars like Appar , Sundarar and Sambanthar praised to Sri Vayulingeswara swami the deity in their hymns. After its complete structure during the subsequent years today the Govt. and Trust board smoothly organising this temple.
The Manikanteswarar temple, also in Kalahasti dates back to the period of Raja Raja Chola I (early 11th century), and it was reconstructed in stone in 1196 by Kulottunga III. Shiva here is also referred to as Manikkengauyudaiya Nayanar. There is also a Vishnu shrine in this temple.
Raahu - Ketu Kshetram
Srikalahastheeswara swamy Temple is reputed as the Rahu–Kethu Kshetra. If the people who are affected by Rahu Kethu Doshas, Graha Doshas and Serpa Doshas the unmarried and Childless and those who are facing various problems for a long period perform the most effective Rahu -Kethu Serpa Dosha Nivarana Pooja in this temple all the Doshas get removed and desired results occur. Thousands of devotees from the country and abroad perform this poojas and fulfill their vows again and again after receiving good results.
Rahu-Kethu Serpa Dosha Nivarana Puja can be performed daily between 6.30 am. And 9.00 p.m
About the Temple
This temple is built in the period of Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagar. A huge hundred pillared Mantapam is another important feature of this shrine.It is one of ancient Hindu piligrimages and the site of a famous Shiva temple with magnificiant gopuras.
This ancient temple dedicated to Shiva is one of the Pancha Bhoota Stalams (temples celebrating Shiva as the embodiment of the primary elements), air being the element in case here, the other five temples being Tiruvannamalai (Fire), Chidambaram (Space),Tiruvanaikkaval (Water) and Kanchipuram (Earth) respectively. This temple is also associated with Rahu and Ketu, (of the nine grahams or celestial bodies in the Indian astrological scheme).
The temple and the town are situating in beautiful natural surroundings. The river Suvarnamukhi flows on one side of the town. The temple is a huge and a beautiful one. It is one of the important ancient Siva kshetras of South India. The temple occupies the area between the river Suvarnamukhi and the foot of the hills and is popularly known as Dakshina Kailasam. The three lofty Gopurams of the temple are remarkable for their architecture.
Temple surroundings
Kalahasti and the hill Kailasagiri are famous in the Puranas. According to the Skanda, Saiva, and Linga Puranas, the idol of Sri Kalahastiswara is said to have been brought by Brahma the Creator from Mount Kailash as a gift from Lord Iswara. According to the instructions of the Lord, he kept the idol and worshipped the same, so that he may by his worship recollect the process of creation, which was forgotten by him. Hence it is that the hill is called Kailasagiri known as Dakshina Kailasam ( Southern Kailash)
North of the temple is the Durgambika hill, south is the Bhakta Kannappa hill and east is the Sri Kumaraswamy hill.
In the Kalahasti Sthalapurana it is clearly stated as to which Rishis worshipped which Lingam in each of the four yugas in order to attain salvation. The Sthalapurana, states. That when Brahma the Creator began to perform penance in the presence of this Linga, Lord Siva left Kailash and took his abode in this idol. Goddess Parvati finding that she had been left along herself, also came to this Linga and began her Pujas and penance. During this period Durga was her attendant. After the completion of the penance of Brahma and Parvati, Lord Siva gave Darsan to them. Durga, the attendant, was also granted a boon, and according to her wish she was converted into a Goddess. Hence there is a bill here called Durga hill. The Lord and the Goddess are taken out in procession on two occasions---on the ninth day of Mahashivaratri festival and on Makarasankranti day.
Kalahasti is surrounded by two sacred hills, and the one in the north has a temple of Durgamba, and the other in the south has the shrine of Kannabeswara, in memory of Sage Kannappa, who sacrificed one of his eyes as an offering to the Lord, and who when in the act of offering the other eye also was prevented by the Lord himself. The temple Of Kalahastiswara is situated to the west of Kalahasti hill. The two entrance Gopurams of the shrine is very imposing. In the second court of the temple is an underground cell, where Lord Ganapati, called here as Patala Vinayaka, is worshipped. This shrine which is 30 feet beneath the surface, is said to mark the level of the river that passes by. The sculptures of Sage Kannappa, Sakti Vinayaka, as well as the bronze figures of the Nayanars or Saivite saints in the temple are very ancient and beautiful.
The main entrance of the temple begins from Bikshala Galigopuram. Close to this and facing the east, is a temple dedicated to Kasi Viswanath Swami and Annapurna. Passing this we enter the temple Prakara called Bala Gnana-nanda Gopuram. Next to this is the temple of Patala Ganapati. There are two wells called Surya Pushkarani and Chandra Pushkarani and adjacent to these Pushkaranis is a Suryanarayana temple. Close to the western gate there is a temple of Subrahmanyaswami and also of Sadyomukti Ganapati. The Krishandevaraya Mantapa, the Jalakoti Mantapa, the Palagar Mantapa etc. are all situated closes by. Adjacent to these on the southern side, there is a pathway which leads to the Bharadwaja Ashram, Kannappa Hill and the Manikarnika temple.
The main gate of the temple proper faces south, and this is clear proof that the temple is dedicated to Dakshinamurthy, who is a manifestation of Lord Siva. Entering the temple, we then have the Vighneswara temple to our west. There are also idols of Appar, Sundarar and Manikkavasagar who are famous Saivite Nayanars saints. Next comes the sacred shrine of Sri Kalahastiswara and just before the main entrance is the idol of Kannappa, the great devotee, who, removed his eyes as an offering to the Lord. Many rare icons like Vallablia Ganapati, Mahalaxmi Ganapati and Saha-sralingeswara Swami also exist in the temple.
To the South, on the slope of the Kannappa bill, is a small shrine dedicated to Brahma in which the Linga figures with four faces in different directions. Close by on the boulders are bas-relief sculptures of Saivite mythology. The Manikanteswara shrine, which is also close by, is of very ancient origin with an important inscription. The rock-cut "mantapa to the south-east of the temple is called the Maniganniagattam, in memory of a woman having been blessed with the holy Taraka Mantra by the Lord Siva himself. Whispering it into her right car.
The river Suvarnamukhi is also a famous one in the Puranas. In the Puranas it is stated that Agasthya Maharshi brought this sacred river. It is a perennial river. It is also called Uttara Vahini, as it flows from south to north at this spot, which is a rare phenomenon. It is stated that Lord Indra got rid of his curse from Maharshi Gautama after taking his bath in this river.
