The legend
The name joins Sri (spider), Kala (serpent) and Hasti (elephant), who each worshipped Shiva here and attained liberation. Kannappa, the hunter devotee, offered his own eyes to the Lord.
Timeline
Ancient Tamil sources already know Srikalahasti as a great Shiva shrine and the Swarnamukhi as the Ganges of the South.
The inner sanctum is dated to around the 5th century.
The outer temple is built by the Chola kings, with later additions by the Vijayanagara kings.
The Vijayanagara king Krishnadevaraya is remembered for major additions.
Daily darshan, sevas and the Rahu Ketu Pooja draw devotees from across India.
The three hills
The temple faces west and sits beside hills linked with Durgambika, Kannappar and Kumaraswamy.
Pancha Bhuta Sthalams
| Element | Temple |
|---|---|
| Earth | Ekambareswarar, Kanchipuram |
| Water | Jambukeswarar, Thiruvanaikaval |
| Fire | Arunachaleswarar, Tiruvannamalai |
| Air | Kalahasteeswara, Srikalahasti |
| Space | Nataraja, Chidambaram |
Why is it called the Vayu Linga temple?
Srikalahasti represents the element of air among the five Pancha Bhuta temples.
Srikalahasti Temple at a glance
- Darshan: 5:30 AM to 9:30 PM (Sat to Mon), 5:30 AM to 9:00 PM (Tue to Fri)
- Rahu Ketu Pooja: 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM daily, tickets ₹500 to ₹5,000
- Booking: AP Temples portal or the temple counters
- Distance: about 38 km from Tirupati and 110 km from Chennai
- Languages: English, Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam