Srikalahasti Temple, Chittoor: History, Timings & Visitor Guide

Srikalahasti Temple is open every day, usually from early morning to late evening with a break in the afternoon. Darshan and aarti timings change with the season and on festival days.

• MorningOpens early morning (around 5 to 6 AM)
• AfternoonShort break around midday at many temples
• EveningEvening aarti around sunset, closes by about 8 to 9 PM

Ask the temple office on arrival for the day's aarti schedule.

Dress Code & Temple Rules

• DressModest, traditional clothes covering shoulders and knees
• FootwearRemove before entering; use the shoe stand
• PhotographyNot allowed inside the sanctum
• Not AllowedLeather items, tobacco, alcohol, non-veg food
• QueueFollow queue lines and staff instructions on festival days

Around the 11th century CE, the Chola emperor Rajendra Chola I king renovated the temple and constructed the main structure. Kulottunga Chola I, contrived and built the beautiful gopurams, located at the entrance facing south, during the 11th century CE. Inscriptions of Rajaditya 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 like Chola Dynasty, Reddi kingdom and Vijayanagar Empire. The 120 feet (37 m) high main gopuram and the hundred pillared hall with intricate carvings was commissioned during the regime of the Vijayanagara Krishnadevaraya during 1516 CE.

The main gopuram, built by king Krishnadevaraya, collapsed on 26 May 2010. 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. 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.

Legend & Significance

In primordial times, the wind-god Vayu performed penance for thousands of years to the Karpoora Lingam, the lingam of Shiva made of camphor. 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 of vayus. Further, The linga that Vayu worshipped was named as the Vayu Lingam after him and was declared to be worshipped by various beings.

Another legend narrates that Shiva's consort Parvati adamantly asked him to teach her the secret of the Shiva 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.

Architecture of Srikalahasti Temple

The presiding image of Shiva in the form of Linga 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. Horizontally, the lingam is divided 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 son Ganesha, 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 son Murugan. 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.