One of the most well-known Shiva temples in South India is Srikalahasteeswara Temple, often referred to as Srikalahasti Temple. Renowned Shiva follower Kannappa was going to offer both of his eyeballs to conceal the blood oozing from the Siva linga when Lord Siva intervened and bestowed mukti upon him. The temple is also known as Dakshina Kailasam and Rahu-Ketu kshetra.
The historic Shiva temple in Sri Kalahasti is mentioned in the three ancient epics, the Shiva Purana, the Linga Purana, and the Skanda Purana. According to the Skanda Purana, Arjuna came to this place to worship Kalahastheeswara (Lord Shiva) and met Rishi Bharadwaja on the top of a hill.
Architecture:
The temple’s massive, ancient gopura, standing 120 feet tall, guards the main entrance. The whole temple is sculpted out of the side of a huge hill of stone. This temple was first constructed in the fifth century by the Pallava dynasty. The main structure and the temple were renovated by Chola rulers in the tenth century. During the time of Sri Veera Narasimharaya, the King of Vijayanagara, the outside walls and four gopuras were built. The great gopura and the hundred-pillared mandapa were constructed in 1516 by the famous Vijayanagara monarch Krishna Devaraya. The main shrine of Srikalahasti Temple is located to the west, while the main entrance faces south. The Shiva Lingam, housed within the temple, is fashioned like the trunk of an elephant and is composed of white stone.Two further mandaps inside the temple complex are the Sadyogi Mandap and the Jalkoti Mandap. It also features Chandra Pushkarani and Surya Pushkarani, two bodies of water.
Significance :
Srikalahasti, Tiruvannamalai, Thiruvanaikaval, Chidambaram, and Kanchipuram are among the Pancha Bhoota Sthalas of Lord Shiva. Vayu, the Air Element, is represented by this site. Shiva is known as Kalahasteeswara when he is in his Vayu form. This temple is also associated with Rahu and Ketu, two of the nine celestial bodies in Indian astrology. Those whose horoscopes show the planet Rahu in an unfavorable position are believed to find comfort from a visit to this shrine.
Inside the inner sanctuary, there’s a bulb that flickers nonstop despite the absence of air movement. The flames in a few ghee lamps flicker as if they are being blown by moving air. The white linga is connected to Swayambhu (self-manifested).
Other deities worshipped at this temple include Lord Kasi Viswanatha, Lord Suryanarayan, Lord Subramanya, Goddess Annapurna, and Lord Sadyoganapathi.
This is the only temple in India that stays open during solar and lunar eclipses, all other temples being shuttered. On the day of the eclipse (Lord Shiva), the priests of Sri Kalahasti conduct the holy Abhishekam (pouring of holy water on the idol) to Srikalahasteeswara Swamy. Hindus believe that a person can eliminate the doshas from their “Jataka” (horoscope) if they worship Lord Siva and Goddess Gnana Prasunamba Ammavaru at the temple on the day of the solar eclipse. The Lord Shiva statue at Sri Kalahasti is supposed to govern the entire solar system since it has all 27 Nakshatras (stars) and nine Rashis, according to the Puranas.
