Kalahasti temple
Encyclopedia
Srikalahasti Temple is located in the town of Srikalahasti
, in the state of Andhra Pradesh
, India
. It is one of the most famous Shiva temple
s in South India, and is said to be the site where Kannappa
, one of the 63 Saivite Nayanars
, was ready to offer both his eyes to cover blood flowing from the Siva linga before the Lord Siva
stopped him and granted him mukti.
Sri Kalahasti temple, situated 36 km away from Tirupati
is famous for its Vayu
deva temple, which is the only shrine for the God of Wind in India. Constructed in the 12th century by the Chola king, Rajendra Chola, Vayu is incarnated as Lord Shiva and worshipped as Kalahasteeswara.
Sthalam), representing one of the five major elements - Wind. The five elements are,
This temple is considered as the Kailash of the South or Dakshin Kailash. Saivaite saints of the first century sang about this temple.
The initial structure of this temple was constructed by the Pallava
dynasty. The Chola kings and the Vijayanagara
kings also gave great help for the temple development. Like other great temples, the construction period of Sri Kalahasthi temple lasted centuries. Around the tenth century, the Chola kings renovated the temple and constructed the main structure.
The outer walls and the four gopurams were constructed in the period of Sri Veera Narasimharayar in twelfth century. The 120 feet (36.6 m) high main gopuram and the 100 pillar mandapam were constructed by Krishnadevaraya
, the Vijayanagara king in 1516. Mr.Ramanathan Nattukkottai Chettiyar of Devakkottai, developed the structure as it is today by spending one million dollars
in 1912. . Tamil
saints Nayanars
like Appar, Sundarar and Sambanthar praised the deity in their hymns—the tevaram
.
), fire at (Annamalaiyar Temple
), earth at (Ekambareswarar Temple
) and space at (Chidambaram Temple
) that Siva embodies.
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 priests close off the entrance to the main deity room, which does not have any windows. One 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 his eyes to the Lord. There is also a temple dedicated to Lord 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.
According to Hindu mythology, the elephant or 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 Vilva leaves. The spider or Sri tried to protect the deity from external damage by weaving his web and to provide shelter for the Shiva lingam. The snake or 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. The spider takes rebirth as a great king while the elephant and the snake reaches heaven for satisfying all its karma.
This king continues his good work from his previous birth and builds a variety of temples that seeks to protect the underlying deity with tons of stones. It is interesting to note that all his temples, keep the deity beyond the access of an elephant. In this temple, access to the deity is through a narrow passage in the side of the building that prevents an elephant from extending its trunk over the lord from any side.
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 and came to be known as Gnana Prasunamba or Gnana Prasunambika Devi.
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 Sivananda's book, Sixty-Three Nayanar Saints, pg. 44, 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.
s of people offer prayers to seek the blessings of the Lord to attain Mukti.
the un married and No children and those who are facing various problems for long period and perform the most effective Rahu - Kethu Sarpa Dosha Nivarana Puja in this Temple all the Doshas get removed and desired results occur. Thousands of Devotees from the country and abroad perform this puja and fulfill their vows again and again after receiving good results.
Rahu - Kethu Sarpa Dosha Nivarana Puja can be performed daily between 6:30 A.M and 9:00 P.M. This is a popular puja undertaken by devotees at this temple. This is offered in three variations, all of which serve the same purpose but offer varying degrees of comfort and special treatment for the devotee. There are 3 rates for pooja; Rs. 300/, Rs. 600/-, Rs. 1000/- and Rs. 1500/-. While Rs. 250/- and Rs. 600/- pooja is performed outside prakaram
(outer courtyard), Rs. 1000/- pooja is performed within in prakaram
(outer courtyard)(at Subramanya swamy temple), and Rs. 1500/- is performed within temple premises. While you can perform pooja at any time, performing pooja during rahu kalam is considered to be auspicious. Sunday and Tuesday are the best days to perform pooja as Sunday and Tuesday are the days considered to be for Rahu and Kethu.(The Devastanam will arrange all Puja Materials)
There is no gift superior to Annadanam, the tradition of providing food to the sunging has been followed since the Vedic period. Annadata Sukhibhava (may the provider of food be happy) say the ancients, several crores of merits occur due to this pious act.
Sri Gnana Prasunambika Devi Nithya Annadana scheme was set up to provide free food to the devotees visited the sacred temple of Srikalahasthi, no fewer than 200 devotees are fed daily under this scheme.
Annadanam is arrange in the name of the donor, on the day chosen by him/her making use of the interest secured on the donation. Donors can contribute any amount over Rs. 1116/-. Annadanam is provided every year on the day of donor's choice using only the interest derived from the endowment.
Those who contribute lesser amounts toward this scheme will be considered as Donors by the Devasthanam. Generous contributions of the devotees on the basis of this scheme will be welcomed in the form of D.D. in person drawn in favour of the executive officer.
Archaeologists and experts, looking into the reasons of the imposing structure crashing down, found that it stood on a foundation that had a depth of only one-and-a-half feet.
Srikalahasti
Srikalahasti , is a holy town and a municipality near Tirupati in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located on the banks of the river Swarnamukhi. It is also informally and wrongly referred to as Kalahasti...
, in the state of Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It is one of the most famous Shiva temple
Shiva temple
The Madai Vadukunda Shiva Temple is believed to have been constructed by “Kolathiri” Kings during medieval period on a plateau land generally known now as “Madai Para” in Madai Village, Kannur Taluk and District of Kerala State. This is situating 22 km north of Kannur, the Head Quarter Town...
s in South India, and is said to be the site where Kannappa
Kannappa
' may refer to:* Kannappa Nayanar, one of the 63 Nayanars* Bedara Kannappa, a Kannada film* Bhakta Kannappa, a Telugu film...
, one of the 63 Saivite Nayanars
Nayanars
The Nayanars or Nayanmars were Shaivite devotional poets of Tamil Nadu, active between the fifth and the tenth centuries CE...
, was ready to offer both his eyes to cover blood flowing from the Siva linga before the Lord Siva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
stopped him and granted him mukti.
Sri Kalahasti temple, situated 36 km away from Tirupati
Tirumala - Tirupati
Tirupati is a major pilgrimage city located in the Chittoor district and seventh biggest city of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located at the foothills of the Eastern Ghats at a distance of south of Hyderabad, the capital of the state, east of Bangalore, and north of Chennai.Tirupati is famous...
is famous for its Vayu
Vayu
Vāyu is a primary Hindu deity, the Lord of the winds, the father of Bhima and the spiritual father of Lord Hanuman...
deva temple, which is the only shrine for the God of Wind in India. Constructed in the 12th century by the Chola king, Rajendra Chola, Vayu is incarnated as Lord Shiva and worshipped as Kalahasteeswara.
Pancha Bootha Sthalam
It is one of the five major Shiva temples (Pancha BhootaTattva
Tattva is a Sanskrit word meaning 'thatness', 'principle', 'reality' or 'truth'. According to various Indian schools of philosophy, a tattva is an element or aspect of reality conceived as an aspect of deity. Although the number of tattvas varies depending on the philosophical school, together they...
Sthalam), representing one of the five major elements - Wind. The five elements are,
- Earth – Telugu: భూమి (bhoomi),Tamil: நிலம் (Nilam) - KanchipuramKanchipuramKanchipuram, or Kanchi, is a temple city and a municipality in Kanchipuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a temple town and the headquarters of Kanchipuram district...
- Ekambareswarar TempleEkambareswarar TempleEkambareswarar Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, located in Kanchipuram in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.It is one of the five major Shiva temples or Pancha Bootha Sthalams representing the element - Earth... - Water – Telugu: జలము (Jalamu), Tamil: நீர் (Neer) - ThiruvanaikavalThiruvanaikavalThiruvanaikaval is a famous Shiva temple in Tiruchirapalli , located in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The temple was built by Kocengannan , one of the Early Cholas, around 1,800 years ago...
- Jambukeswara Temple - Fire – Telugu: అగ్ని (Agni),Tamil: நெருப்பு (Nerupu) - TiruvannamalaiTiruvannamalaiThiruvannamalai is a pilgrimage Temple city and special grade municipality in Thiruvannamalai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the headquarters of the Thiruvannamalai district. Thiruvannamalai is home to the Annamalaiyar Temple located at the foot of the Annamalai hill and...
- Annamalaiyar TempleAnnamalaiyar TempleAnnamalaiyar Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the Hindu deity Shiva, located at the foothills of the Annamalai Hill in the town of Thiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu, India. Shiva is worshipped as Annamalaiyar or Arunachaleswarar represented by lingam, withhis consort, Unnamalaiyaal... - Wind – Telugu: వాయువు (Vaayuvu),Tamil: காற்று (Kaatru) - SrikalahastiSrikalahastiSrikalahasti , is a holy town and a municipality near Tirupati in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located on the banks of the river Swarnamukhi. It is also informally and wrongly referred to as Kalahasti...
- Sky – Telugu: ఆకాశం (Akaasam), Tamil: வான் (Vaan) - ChidambaramChidambaramChidambaram is a fast growing industrial city in Eastern part of Tamil Nadu and the taluk headquarters of the Cuddalore district. It is located in 58 km from Pondicherry, 60 km from Karaikal, and 240 km south of Chennai by rail...
- Chidambaram TempleChidambaram TempleThillai Natarajah Temple, Chidambaram is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva located in the town of Chidambaram, East-Central Tamil Nadu, South India. The temple is known as the foremost of all temples to Saivites and has influenced worship, architecture, sculpture and performance art for over two...
Other Importance
The temple is also associated with Rahu and Kethu (of the nine grahams or celestial bodies in the Indian astrological scheme). The river Suvarnamukhi takes the northerly course at Sri Kalahasthi almost washing the west wall of the famous temple . Inside this very large temple, situated between two steep hills Sripuram and Mummidi-cholapuram, is the Sivalinga set to represent the element of Vayu.This temple is considered as the Kailash of the South or Dakshin Kailash. Saivaite saints of the first century sang about this temple.
History
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. This temple features an enormous, ancient gopuram (entrance tower) over the main gate. The tower is 36.5 m (120 ft) high. The entire temple is carved out of the side of a huge stone hill.The initial structure of this temple was constructed by the Pallava
Pallava
The Pallava dynasty was a Tamil dynasty which ruled the northern Tamil Nadu region and the southern Andhra Pradesh region with their capital at Kanchipuram...
dynasty. The Chola kings and the Vijayanagara
Vijayanagara
Vijayanagara is in Bellary District, northern Karnataka. It is the name of the now-ruined capital city "which was regarded as the second Rome" that surrounds modern-day Hampi, of the historic Vijayanagara empire which extended over the southern part of India....
kings also gave great help for the temple development. Like other great temples, the construction period of Sri Kalahasthi temple lasted centuries. Around the tenth century, the Chola kings renovated the temple and constructed the main structure.
The outer walls and the four gopurams were constructed in the period of Sri Veera Narasimharayar in twelfth century. The 120 feet (36.6 m) high main gopuram and the 100 pillar mandapam were constructed by Krishnadevaraya
Krishnadevaraya
Śrī Kriṣhṇa Devarāya , , , and also known as Krishna Devarayulu in some inscriptions was the famed Emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire who reigned from 1509–1529 CE.He is the third ruler of the Tuluva Dynasty. Presiding over the empire at its zenith, he is regarded as an icon by many Indians...
, the Vijayanagara king in 1516. Mr.Ramanathan Nattukkottai Chettiyar of Devakkottai, developed the structure as it is today by spending one million dollars
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
in 1912. . Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
saints Nayanars
Nayanars
The Nayanars or Nayanmars were Shaivite devotional poets of Tamil Nadu, active between the fifth and the tenth centuries CE...
like Appar, Sundarar and Sambanthar praised the deity in their hymns—the tevaram
Tevaram
The Tevaram denotes the first seven volumes of the Tirumurai, the twelve-volume collection of Tamil Saivite devotional poetry. All seven volumes are dedicated to the works of the three most prominent Tamil poets - Campantar , Appar and Cuntarar...
.
Temple
This ancient 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 (ThiruvanaikavalThiruvanaikaval
Thiruvanaikaval is a famous Shiva temple in Tiruchirapalli , located in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The temple was built by Kocengannan , one of the Early Cholas, around 1,800 years ago...
), fire at (Annamalaiyar Temple
Tiruvannamalai
Thiruvannamalai is a pilgrimage Temple city and special grade municipality in Thiruvannamalai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the headquarters of the Thiruvannamalai district. Thiruvannamalai is home to the Annamalaiyar Temple located at the foot of the Annamalai hill and...
), earth at (Ekambareswarar Temple
Kanchipuram
Kanchipuram, or Kanchi, is a temple city and a municipality in Kanchipuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a temple town and the headquarters of Kanchipuram district...
) and space at (Chidambaram Temple
Chidambaram
Chidambaram is a fast growing industrial city in Eastern part of Tamil Nadu and the taluk headquarters of the Cuddalore district. It is located in 58 km from Pondicherry, 60 km from Karaikal, and 240 km south of Chennai by rail...
) that Siva embodies.
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 priests close off the entrance to the main deity room, which does not have any windows. One can see the flames on several ghee
Ghee
Ghee is a class of clarified butter that originated in South Asia and is commonly used in South Asian cuisine....
lamps flicker as if blown by moving air. The linga is white and is considered Swayambhu
Swayambhu
Swayambhu means Self-manifested or that which is created by its own accord.-Vaishnavism:Based on details in Bhagavata Purana and Matsya Purana, Narayana or Krishna is said to be the Self-manifested Swayambhu form of Brahman as the first cause of creation...
, 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 his eyes to the Lord. There is also a temple dedicated to Lord Subramanya
Subramanya
Subramanya is a commonly used Indian name. It is also another name for the Hindu deity Murugan. Other common spellings are Subrahmanya, Subramania and Subramaniam. The name may refer to:People...
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
Camphor
Camphor is a waxy, white or transparent solid with a strong, aromatic odor. It is a terpenoid with the chemical formula C10H16O. It is found in wood of the camphor laurel , a large evergreen tree found in Asia and also of Dryobalanops aromatica, a giant of the Bornean forests...
, and panchamrita. Sandal
Sandal
Sandals are an open type of outdoor footwearSandal may also refer to:* Sandal Castle, site of the Battle of Wakefield in the Wars of the Roses* Sandal, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England* Sandal, Afghanistan* Šandal, village in Slovakia...
paste, flowers and the sacred thread are offered to the utsava-murti, not the main linga.
Legend
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 or 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 Vilva leaves. The spider or Sri tried to protect the deity from external damage by weaving his web and to provide shelter for the Shiva lingam. The snake or 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. The spider takes rebirth as a great king while the elephant and the snake reaches heaven for satisfying all its karma.
This king continues his good work from his previous birth and builds a variety of temples that seeks to protect the underlying deity with tons of stones. It is interesting to note that all his temples, keep the deity beyond the access of an elephant. In this temple, access to the deity is through a narrow passage in the side of the building that prevents an elephant from extending its trunk over the lord from any side.
Goddess Parvati's curse
There are several other legends connected to the glory of the temple. Prominent among them is of ParvatiParvati
Parvati is a Hindu goddess. Parvati is Shakti, the wife of Shiva and the gentle aspect of Mahadevi, the Great Goddess...
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 and came to be known as Gnana Prasunamba or Gnana Prasunambika Devi.
Gnanakala
Cursed to became a ghost Ghanakala prayed at Srikalahasti for 15 years and after chanting Bhairava Mantra many times Lord Shiva restored her original form.The Devas
Mayura, Chandra and Devendra were also freed from their curses after taking bath in the river Swarnamukhi and prayed at Srikalahasti.Markandeya
To Bhakta Markandeya, Lord Shiva appeared in Sri Kalahasti and preached that a Guru alone could make esoteric teachings and, therefore he is Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara.Kannappa
At Sri Kalahasti, Lord Shiva tested the unshakable devotion of Thinnadu (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
Kannappa
' may refer to:* Kannappa Nayanar, one of the 63 Nayanars* Bedara Kannappa, a Kannada film* Bhakta Kannappa, a Telugu film...
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 Sivananda's book, Sixty-Three Nayanar Saints, pg. 44, some Saivite traditions believe that Kannappa was the reincarnation of Arjuna
Arjuna
Arjuna in Indian mythology is the greatest warrior on earth and is one of the Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. Arjuna, whose name means 'bright', 'shining', 'white' or 'silver' Arjuna (Devanagari: अर्जुन, Thai: อรชุน, Orachun, Tamil: Arjunan, Indonesian and Javanese: Harjuna,...
. 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.
Festivals
Mahasivaratri is an important festival when lakhLakh
A lakh is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand . It is widely used both in official and other contexts in Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and is often used in Indian English.-Usage:...
s of people offer prayers to seek the blessings of the Lord to attain Mukti.
Rahu - Kethu Sarpa Dosha Nivarana Puja
Srikalahasteeswara Swamy Temple is reputed as the Rahu Kethu Kshetra, If the People who have Rahu Kethu Doshas and Sarpa Doshas,the un married and No children and those who are facing various problems for long period and perform the most effective Rahu - Kethu Sarpa Dosha Nivarana Puja in this Temple all the Doshas get removed and desired results occur. Thousands of Devotees from the country and abroad perform this puja and fulfill their vows again and again after receiving good results.
Rahu - Kethu Sarpa Dosha Nivarana Puja can be performed daily between 6:30 A.M and 9:00 P.M. This is a popular puja undertaken by devotees at this temple. This is offered in three variations, all of which serve the same purpose but offer varying degrees of comfort and special treatment for the devotee. There are 3 rates for pooja; Rs. 300/, Rs. 600/-, Rs. 1000/- and Rs. 1500/-. While Rs. 250/- and Rs. 600/- pooja is performed outside prakaram
Prakaram
A Prakaram, also spelled Pragaram or Pragaaram) in Indian architecture is an outer parth around the Hindu temple sanctum. These may be enclosed or open and are typically enclosed for the inner most prakaram....
(outer courtyard), Rs. 1000/- pooja is performed within in prakaram
Prakaram
A Prakaram, also spelled Pragaram or Pragaaram) in Indian architecture is an outer parth around the Hindu temple sanctum. These may be enclosed or open and are typically enclosed for the inner most prakaram....
(outer courtyard)(at Subramanya swamy temple), and Rs. 1500/- is performed within temple premises. While you can perform pooja at any time, performing pooja during rahu kalam is considered to be auspicious. Sunday and Tuesday are the best days to perform pooja as Sunday and Tuesday are the days considered to be for Rahu and Kethu.(The Devastanam will arrange all Puja Materials)
Nithya Kalyanotsavam
Nithya Kalyana Seva is conducted to Sri Siva - Parvathi daily in the name of the donors along with abhisheka aradhana payment of Rs.550/-. The devotees who make permanent endowment of Rs. 5500/-, for Nithya Kalyanotsavam, can perform this seva on any day chosen by them (except on 12 days of maha sivaratri Brahmostavam), The devotees who perform their puja will receive swamivari prasadam, Seshavastram, Lamination photo and Special Asirvachanam.Nithya Annadana scheme
Annasritani bhutani, annam paranamitrisruti
tasmad annasn annamhi paramohini
There is no gift superior to Annadanam, the tradition of providing food to the sunging has been followed since the Vedic period. Annadata Sukhibhava (may the provider of food be happy) say the ancients, several crores of merits occur due to this pious act.
Sri Gnana Prasunambika Devi Nithya Annadana scheme was set up to provide free food to the devotees visited the sacred temple of Srikalahasthi, no fewer than 200 devotees are fed daily under this scheme.
Annadanam is arrange in the name of the donor, on the day chosen by him/her making use of the interest secured on the donation. Donors can contribute any amount over Rs. 1116/-. Annadanam is provided every year on the day of donor's choice using only the interest derived from the endowment.
- Donors of Rs. 50,000 will be mentioned as "Maharaja Sikhamanis"
- Donors of Rs. 25,000 will be called "Raja poshakas"
- Donors of Rs. 10,000 will be called "poshakas"
- Donors of Rs. 5000 will be mentioned as "Bhakta Sikhamanis".
Those who contribute lesser amounts toward this scheme will be considered as Donors by the Devasthanam. Generous contributions of the devotees on the basis of this scheme will be welcomed in the form of D.D. in person drawn in favour of the executive officer.
Temple tower collapse
The RajaGopuram of SriKalahasti Temple collapsed on 26 May 2010 as feared. According to sources, vibrations from borewell digging in the vicinity directly contributed to the collapse. "The digging goes on up to a depth of 500-600 ft," a geologist reasoned.Archaeologists and experts, looking into the reasons of the imposing structure crashing down, found that it stood on a foundation that had a depth of only one-and-a-half feet.
External links
- Know all about SriKalahasthi temple
- cited from http://www.templenet.com/Andhra/kalahasti.html
- http://www.templenet.com/Tamilnadu/panchabhoota.html
- Pancha bhoota lingas map
- Get Some more information about SriKalahasthi Temple