| Sri Gnanaprasunambika sametha Srikalahasteeswara Temple | |
|---|---|
శ్రీ జ్ఞాన ప్రసూనాంబికా సమేత శ్రీ కాళహస్తీశ్వర ఆలయం | |
 An aerial view of the town and the temple | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Hinduism |
| District | Tirupati |
| Deity | Srikalahasteeswara (Shiva), Gnana Prasunambika Devi[1] (Parvati) |
| Festivals | Maha Sivaratri |
| Location | |
| Location | Srikalahasti |
| State | Andhra Pradesh |
| Country | India |
.svg)  Location in Andhra Pradesh | |
| Coordinates | 13°44′58″N79°41′54″E / 13.74944°N 79.69833°E /13.74944; 79.69833 |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Dravidian architecture[2] |
| Creator | Rajendra Chola I |
| Established | 5th century CE |
| Website | |
| Srikalahasti | |
TheSrikalahasti Temple is located in the town ofSrikalahasti inTirupati district in the state ofAndhra Pradesh,India.Siva in his aspect as Vayu is worshipped as Kalahasteeswara. The temple is also regarded asRahu-Ketu kshetra andDakshina Kailasam. According to regional tradition, it is said to be the site whereKannappa was ready to offer both his eyes to cover blood flowing from theShivalinga beforeShiva stopped him and granted himmoksha.[3]
Srikalahasti temple, situated 36 km away fromTirupati, is famous for itsVayu Lingam (Wind Lingam), one of thePancha Bhuta Sthalams, representing the wind. The temple is about 3Km from Sri Kalahasti(KHT) railway station.
In primordial times, the wind-godVayu performed penance for thousands of years to theKarpoora Lingam, thelingam ofShiva made ofcamphor. Pleased with Vayu's penance, Shiva manifested before him and bestowed him three boons. Vayu was blessed to present everywhere in the world in form of air and want to be an integral part of every being in form ofvayus. Further, The linga that Vayu worshipped was named as theVayu Lingam after him and was declared to be worshipped by various beings.[4]
Another legend narrates that Shiva's consortParvati adamantly asked him to teach her the secret of theShiva Panchakshari Mantra. Angry with her behaviour, Shiva cursed her to discard her divine form and assume a human form. Parvati fell to the Earth. To atone, Parvati performed penance at Srikalahasti and pleased Shiva. Shiva granted her a heavenly body, a hundred times better than her previous divine form, apologised to her and later taught her the secret lore. Parvati is therefore worshipped as Gnana Prasunambika Devi in the temple.
Cursed to become a ghost, Ghanakala prayed at Srikalahasti for 15 years and after chanting the Bhairava Mantra, Shiva restored her original form.
Mayura,Chandra andIndra 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 sageMarkandeya in Srikalahasti and preached that a Guru alone could make esoteric teachings and, therefore he isBrahma, Vishnu and Shiva.
Around the 11th century CE, the Chola emperorRajendra Chola I king renovated the temple and constructed the main structure.[5]Kulottunga Chola I, contrived and built the beautiful gopurams, located at the entrance facing south, during the 11th century CE. Inscriptions ofRajaditya Chola,Rajaraja Chola I,Rajadhiraja Chola I,Kulottunga Chola I,Kulottunga Chola III are found across the temple. The temple received contributions from various ruling dynasties likeChola Dynasty,Reddi kingdom andVijayanagar Empire. The 120 feet (37 m) high maingopuram and the hundred pillared hall with intricate carvings was commissioned during the regime of the VijayanagaraKrishnadevaraya during 1516 CE.[6]
The main gopuram, built by kingKrishnadevaraya, collapsed on 26 May 2010.[7][8] 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.[9][10] The Rajagopuram was reconstructed in its original form at the same location with a budget of 45 crores and was consecrated on 18 January 2017.[7]
The presiding image of Shiva in the form ofLinga 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 representing the 5 hoods of a snake. Vertically, the lingam is divides into three parts, the top representing the snake, the middle representing the tusks of the elephant and the bottom having the carving of the spider. 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 sonGanesha, 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 sonKartikeya. 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.[6]
The temple is revered as one of thePancha Bhoota Stalam where the presiding deity is worshipped asVayu linga (the embodiment of air).This temple is considered the "Kailash of the South".[11] 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.[12] 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.[12]
As per Hindu legend, Kalahasteeshwara was worshipped at this place byBrahma during all fourYugas.Arjuna, thePandava prince duringMahabharata is believed to have worshipped the presiding deity. The legend ofKannappa, who was a hunter and turned into an ardent devotee of Shiva accidentally, is associated with the temple.
The temple also finds mention in the works of Nakeerar and theNalvars, namely,Appar,Sundarar,Sambandar andManickavasagar in the canonical works of Tirumura.[6] As the temple is revered inTevaram, it is classified asPaadal Petra Sthalam, one of the 275 temples that find mention in the Saiva canon.[13]
The temple follows theShaivite tradition.[citation needed]Maha Shivaratri is the most important festival whenlakhs of devotees offer prayers to seek the blessings of the Lord. MahashivaratriBrahmotsavams are celebrated in par with Maha Shivaratri for 13 days during which the processional idols of Shiva and Parvati will be taken onVahanams in a procession around the temple streets.[14]
