Kalahasti History

KALAHASTI TEMPLE

Sri Kalahasti temple, situated 36 km away is famous for its Vayudeva temple, which is the only shrine of the god of wind in India. Constructed in the 12th century by the Chola king, Rajarajendra, Vayu is incarnated as Lord Shiva and worshipped as Kalahasteeswara.

This is an important temple dedicated to Lord Siva. This temple has one of the elemental lingas, the vayu (air) linga. There is a lamp inside the inner sanctum that is constantly flickering despite the lack of air movement inside. The air-linga can be observed to move even when the pujaris close off the entrance to the main Deity room, which does not have any windows. You can see the flames on several ghee lamps flicker as if blown by moving air. The linga is white and is considered Swayambhu, or self-manifested.

Kalahasti is surrounded by two sacred hills. The Durgamba temple is on the northern hill. On the south hill there is the shrine of Kannabeswara, in memory of the Sage Kannappa, who offered an eye to the Lord. When he tried to offer his other eye as well, the Lord mercifully stopped him. There is also a temple dedicated to Subramanya on one of the surrounding hills.

The main linga is untouched by human hands, even by the priest. Abhisheka (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, not the main linga.

This temple is one of the most impressive Siva temples in India. It features an enormous, ancient gopuram (tower) over the main gate. The tower is 36.5m (120 feet) high. The entire temple is carved out of the side of a huge stone hill. It was built in1516 by King Krishnadeva Raya.

The temple is run by neatly dressed Saivite Brahmins, who conduct the worship of the various deities inside. Inside the temple you will find the tremendously ornate and splendid architecture that South India is famous for. Elaborately designed pillars, altars, and paraphernalia abound.

Kalahasti Special Poojas

Kalahasti and Sarpa Dosham

By K N Rao Journal of Astrology

Kalahasti in Andhra Pradesh in south India has been well known for centuries for the shanti sarpa dosham represented by Rahu and Ketu in a horoscope. There was a very informative article in the Oct-Dec issue of the Journal of Astrology of 1999 which is reproduced here. On 26 December 2006, I visited Kalahasti with eight others. Everywhere in the temple we saw boards showing poojas offered to Rahu Ketu and for Sarpa Dosham. NO WHERE WAS THERE ANY MENTION OF KAAL SARPA YOGA. Three couples among nine of us wanted poojas to be done for Rahu Ketu and sarpa dosham and the remaining three of us joined as passive participants. In the pooja there was no mention of Kaal Sarpa Yoga at all. All that was said was SARPA DOSHAM. I asked the poojari performing it where was Kaal Sarpa Yoga mentioned in any astrology book. The conversation between us was like the following. ‘’ Nowhere’’he said. ‘’Then why do people refer to Kalahasti as the place for the shanti of the so called Kaal Sarpa Yoga?’’ I asked him. ‘’It is their mistake’’ he said. I was happy and pleased with the answer of the poojari. He has a musical voice and beautiful pronounciation of Sanskrit. He underwent training in Karmakanda in many places including Kanchi Kamkoti. IT IS NECESSARY TO REMEMBER THAT SAYING THAT KALAHASTI IS ASSOCIATED WITH KAAL SARPA YOGA is a mistake. In course of time, some people may have done so because the shantis of Rahu and Ketu are done here because Kalahasti is referred to as Rahu-Ketu Kheshram. Now read the article of Vikrumaditya Singh Rahu Ketu Kheshtram Vikrumaditya Singh In Tamil sources of the second century BC there is a reference to the south Indian pilgrimage, Kalahasti, a small town on the Gudur-Renigunta section of the South Central Railway, in the Chittor district Andhra Pradesh.Referred to as Dakshina Kailasam, where all human beings attain salvation or mukti. The artistic excellence in the Pallava, Chola and Vijaynagar traditions makes Kalahasti one of the important Shiva khestras in south India. Adjacent to the temple, the Swarnamukhi river flows uttarmukhi (in northward direction) as in Kashi (Varanasi). It is why Kalahasti is referred to as Dakshina Kashi or Kashi of the south. In this unique temple, unlike other Indian temples, Gods and Goddesses are placed in four directions, which signify: 1) Dharma (the enjoined duty one has to perform) symbolised Lord Ganapati facing North. 2) Artha (earning wealth) symbolised by Goddess Gnanprasoonammba (Umadevi) facing East. 3) Kaama (desires one pursues) symbolized by Lord Shiva facing South. 4) Moksha (salvation) symbolised by Lord Kalahasteeswara facing West and reminding us all that like the setting Sun death is inevitable for us all, mortals. Spider, Snake and Elephant The Kalahasti temple is associated with three of God ís creatures, a spider, a Rahu Ketu Kheshtram cobra and an elephant. The name of the spider was Sri, the snake is referred to as Kaal (here it is referred to as Kala) and Hasti refers to the elephant. The Spider In Krita yuga, as the story goes, there was a spider by the name Sri who worshipped Lord Shiva in a very artistic way by weaving its webs in the form of temples and towers. If some threads of its web got snapped by strong gusts of winds, it repaired by reconnecting those threads. To test Sri once Lord Shiva caused all those webs to be burnt by a flame. Angered, the spider ran to gulp those flames, a risk which was bound to cost it, its life. On the verge of death, the spider had the supreme fortune of seeing Lord Shiva appear before who, after saving its life, asked it to ask for a boon. The spider requested the Lord to grant it that eternal bliss which a true devotee wants. Lord Shiva granted that boon, allowed the spider to become one with Him, giving it, thus, Sayujya Mukti. Cobra and the Elephant In Treta Yuga, a cobra worshipped Lord Shiva with rare gems which it brought from Nagaloka (the world of snakes). In the next Yuga, Dwapara, came an elephant who offered its prayers to Lord Shiva at the same place after taking its bath in the river Swarnamukhi. The elephant brought in its tusk water with which he washed the temple after removing the offerings of the cobra. The elephant decorated the idol of Lord Shiva with flowers and bilva leaves. Next day, the cobra suffered an agony when it found that its offerings had been removed. Blowing off the leaves and flowers offered by the elephant, the cobra performed its pooja in its own way. For the elephant, the gems offered by the cobra were mere stones while for the cobra the leaves offered by the elephant were full of thorns. It went on, as though it was a game of hide and seek, each worshipping in its own way after removing otherís offerings. One day, the cobra wanting to know how it was happening, hid itself behind the leaves.Finding the elephant doing what it had done every day, the angered cobra entered the nostrils of the elephant, choking it to death. In agony,and facing its death, the elephant dashed its head on the Shiva Linga. It caused the death of the elephant and the cobra, now dashed to the ground with a mighty jerk, found it difficult to survive itself. Pleased with their devotion, Lord Shiva restored them to life and returned to them their original form which was of Rudras. They too merged in the form of the Lord as the spider had earlier, in a different Yuga, Krita. To immortalize his devotees, Lord Shiva assumed the name of SriKalahasti. As said earlier, the name of the spider was Sri, the snake is referred to as Kaal (here it is referred to as Kala) and Hasti refers to the elephant. In this famous pilgrimage, one can see how the three got immortalised in the Shiva Linga here. At the foot of the Linga is ìSriî the spider in a recognizable form. In the middle there are two tusks of the elephant while on the top one can see a five headed cobra, which Lord Shiva, as is known, wears as a garland round His neck. Rahu-Ketu The form of the Linga at Kalahasti, has the shape of a cobra. In Hindu jyotisha Rahu has been referred to as the snake. It is well known that no snake bite can take place unless there is Rahu combining with the Sun, Moon or Gulika with the aspect of Mars. It is for this reason that Kalahasti is also referred to as Rahu-Ketu khestram Some of the malefic influences associated with Rahu, in traditional Hindu astrology and in folk belief are the well known Sarpa dosha which causes a woman to have enormous difficulties in bearing children. It is more so in south India where astrologers refer to Naga dosha and have women worship a snake made of gold or silver which they are asked to donate to someone after the completion of their worship. One can notice here that the nine planets are not installed separately but all the nine are combined in kavacha (shield) placed above the Shiva Linga . The priests of the temple decorate the Kavacha and not the Shiva Linga. In this great pilgrimage, it is through the worship of the Kavacha that devotees overcome the afflictions caused in their horoscopes. It is in this great belief that devotees throng to the temple. It is the depth of their devotion that gives to them what they pray for. The great tradition has existed for thousands of years which is why Kalahasti is referred to as a rare pilgrimage which one must visit to enjoy the blessings of the Lord and get relief from worldly agonies.

Kalahasti Guide

Title

KALAHASTI is a town in the Chittoor District of Andhra, and it is a Railway Station on the Renigunta-Gudur section. It has a temple dedicated to Lord Siva, and is famous throughout Andhra as a sacred place and a place of pilgrimage. This religious centre, which is situated between two steep hills, called Sripuram and Mummidicholapuram, is said to have formed part of Seshasaila or Mount Meru, in the ancient days.

Description

KALAHASTI is a town in the Chittoor District of Andhra, and it is a Railway Station on the Renigunta-Gudur section. It has a temple dedicated to Lord Siva, and is famous throughout Andhra as a sacred place and a place of pilgrimage. This religious centre, which is situated between two steep hills, called Sripuram and Mummidicholapuram, is said to have formed part of Seshasaila or Mount Meru, in the ancient days. Kalahasti is situated near the pilgrimage town of Tirupati and is visited by thousands of pilgrims. Kalahasti temple is also associated with Rahu and Ketu, (of the nine grahams or celestial bodies in the Indian astrological scheme). Architecture: The huge 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 go after 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. Krishnadevaraya built a huge gopuram, 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. 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.

Location

36 kms from Tirupati Via Renigunta Junction.

How To Get There

Tirupati (30km) is the nearest airport and is perhaps the most convenient base for visiting Kalahasti as it (Tirupati) is endowed with several modern lodging facilities. A one day trip from Chennai is also possible, as Kalahasti is well connected by road with Tirupati and with Chennai and is only a four to five hour drive from Chennai. If well planned, Tirupati, Tirumala and Kalahasti can be covered in a day's trip from Chennai by car.

Attractions

Papavinasam waterfalls, Akasaganga waterfalls, Narayanavanam, Perumallapalli, Nagalapuram, Talakona, Kamipakam.

Kalahasti description

Title

KALAHASTI is a town in the Chittoor District of Andhra, and it is a Railway Station on the Renigunta-Gudur section. It has a temple dedicated to Lord Siva, and is famous throughout Andhra as a sacred place and a place of pilgrimage. This religious centre, which is situated between two steep hills, called Sripuram and Mummidicholapuram, is said to have formed part of Seshasaila or Mount Meru, in the ancient days.

Description

KALAHASTI is a town in the Chittoor District of Andhra, and it is a Railway Station on the Renigunta-Gudur section. It has a temple dedicated to Lord Siva, and is famous throughout Andhra as a sacred place and a place of pilgrimage. This religious centre, which is situated between two steep hills, called Sripuram and Mummidicholapuram, is said to have formed part of Seshasaila or Mount Meru, in the ancient days. Kalahasti is situated near the pilgrimage town of Tirupati and is visited by thousands of pilgrims. Kalahasti temple is also associated with Rahu and Ketu, (of the nine grahams or celestial bodies in the Indian astrological scheme). Architecture: The huge 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 go after 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. Krishnadevaraya built a huge gopuram, 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. 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.

Location

36 kms from Tirupati Via Renigunta Junction.

How To Get There

Tirupati (30km) is the nearest airport and is perhaps the most convenient base for visiting Kalahasti as it (Tirupati) is endowed with several modern lodging facilities. A one day trip from Chennai is also possible, as Kalahasti is well connected by road with Tirupati and with Chennai and is only a four to five hour drive from Chennai. If well planned, Tirupati, Tirumala and Kalahasti can be covered in a day's trip from Chennai by car.

Attractions

Papavinasam waterfalls, Akasaganga waterfalls, Narayanavanam, Perumallapalli, Nagalapuram, Talakona, Kamipakam.

Kalahasti

Temples of Andhra Pradesh

Significance: 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. Kalahasti is located near the pilgrimage town of Tirupati and is visited by thousands of pilgrims. This temple is also associated with Rahu and Ketu, (of the nine grahams or celestial bodies in the Indian astrological scheme). Antiquity: This temple has been referred to in pre-Christian Tamil literature. The Tamil Saivite saints of the 1st millennium CE have visited this temple and sung its fame. The adjoining hill Dakshina Kailasam has many a fine Pallava carving. 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'. Other works on this temple include the Sree-Kalattipuranam of the three brothers Karunapprakasar, Sivapprakasar and Velappa Deekshitar, Tirukkalattipuranam by Aanandakoottar of Veerainagar and Tirukkalatti Ula by Seraikkavirayar. Architecture: 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. Krishnadevaraya built a huge gopuram, 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. 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. 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. Legends associated with this temple: The legend here is similar to that of the Jambukeswara temple at Tiruvanaikka. Shiva is said to have given salvation to a spider, elephant and a serpent who were ardent devotees of the Shiva Lingam located here. The spider is said to have attained salvation in Kritayuga (the first of the four yugas in the Hindu tradition), while the elephant and the snake were devotees in Treta Yugam, the succeeding aeon. The elephant's devotional outpouring was a source of disturbance to the serpent's display of devotion and vice versa, resulting in animosity between the two, until Shiva's intervention gave both the devotees their liberation. Kannappa Nayanaar, a hunter is said to have been a great devotee of Kalahasteeswarar. Legend has it that he offered his own eyes to the Shivalingam, and for this reason earned the name Kannappan (his original name being Thinnan), and the distinction of having his statue adorn the sanctum. Nakkiradevar, Indra, Rama, Muchukunda and others are believed to have worshipped Shiva at this temple. 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. Access and Accomodation: Tirupati (30km) is the nearest airport and is perhaps the most convenient base for visiting Kalahasti as it (Tirupati) is endowed with several modern lodging facilities. A one day trip from Chennai is also possible, as Kalahasti is well connected by road with Tirupati and with Chennai and is only a four to five hour drive from Chennai. If well planned, Tirupati, Tirumala and Kalahasti can be covered in a day's trip from Chennai by car.