Srikalahasti

Overview

Srikalahasti is a town of roughly 80,000 people on the Swarnamukhi river in Tirupati district, Andhra Pradesh, and its life centres on a Shiva temple that houses the wind lingam. The place suits pilgrims who tick off the five elemental Shiva shrines, devotees seeking Rahu-Ketu rituals, and shoppers after hand-painted cloth. October to February, before the summer heat, is a comfortable time for a Srikalahasti temple visit.

The Srikalahasteeswara Temple belongs to the Pancha Bhoota Sthalams, five Shiva temples linked to the elements, and air is the element here. The lingam is white and cylindrical. The inner sanctum is traced to the 5th century, Chola rulers including Rajendra Chola I rebuilt much of the temple in the 11th century, and the Vijayanagara king Krishnadevaraya added a tall main gateway tower and a hundred-pillared hall around 1516. That tower came down in 2010 and was rebuilt and reconsecrated on 18 January 2017. Devotees also call the temple Dakshina Kailasam, the southern Kailash, and tie it to Kannappa, the hunter who is said to have offered his own eyes to the god.

Most visitors arrive with one purpose in mind. Srikalahasti is known as a Rahu-Ketu kshetra, a place where worshippers believe special rituals soften the influence of those two shadow planets. The temple sets the rituals, the booking methods and the timings, and these arrangements change, so ask at the temple office or check its official channels before you travel instead of trusting an old listing.

Crowds peak at Maha Shivaratri, when celebrations run for around 13 days with the deity carried out on a series of processional vehicles, so book travel and rooms well ahead if you aim for that season.

A second reason to stop here is Kalamkari. The Srikalahasti style is all handwork: the artist sketches freehand with a pen called a kalam and fills the colours using natural dyes. Its subjects are temple deities and scenes from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas, which sets it apart from the block-printed floral work of Machilipatnam. The craft received a Geographical Indication registration in April 2005.

The town lies about 38 km north of Tirupati, and Tirupati Airport is about 25 km away. Srikalahasti has its own station on the Gudur to Katpadi branch line, and APSRTC buses run to the town. A half day is enough for the temple alone, while a full day leaves time for the Kalamkari workshops.

Known for

A Shiva temple with 5th-century roots, rebuilt by the Cholas in the 11th century