In the Kailash of the South
I have no answer to the question whether my visit to these places is a pilgrimage or not. Maybe it is because the spot where I am going to is Kalahasti. Again and again I ask myself if I am setting out on a religious journey. If tours that rejuvenate the body and mind are called pilgrimages, then yes, mine is also one. Whichever places of worship I visit, I have a minute of forgetting about everything and savoring the moment. I don’t know if that is called prayer. I go to such places to see not only the customary rites and perspectives, but also the architectural work of the temples as well as way of life around the place. Whatever it is, there are various stories connected to these religious places, be they unknown or something that people may not want to know or something that they want to forget.
Tirupati and Kalahasti are 2 places which I always wanted to visit. I booked online ticket for Tirupati. My plan is to reach Sri Kalahasti and stay there and to travel to Tirupati the next day. As per what I decided, I arrived at Sri Kalahasti at around 5 o’ clock in the evening. I took a room in a lodge to take rest. After relaxing for half an hour, I set out to see the temple.The atmosphere had a pleasant fragrance and was illuminated and full of praise sounds. Enjoying the beauty of the sculptures in the temple, I walked past the majestic pavilion towards the sanctum sanctorum. There was heavy rush, but I managed to reach in front of the sanctum sanctorum and bowed before the idol. I took a stroll inside the temple. The thousands of hands that worked day and night for the construction of this temple and the artworks in the temple deserve a big salute. I walked relishing the wonderful creations of those artists and felt deep respect for them.
Sri Kalahasti is a famous temple in which the deity is air (Vayu) which is one of the manifestations of the five prime elements of nature (Pancha Bhoota). The Vayu Lingam is considered as a representation of Siva. Here, Siva is called Kalahasteeswaran. Sri Kalahasti is one of the popular pilgrim centers of South India. The Sri Kalahasti Temple is situated in the Kalahasti Municipality of Andhra Pradesh. The distance from the world famous Tirupati to Kalahasti is 35 km. From Kochi, the route is via Coimbatore, Salem, Krishnagiri, Chittoor, Tirupati, to Kalahasti, and the distance is 710 km. The Sri Kalahasti Temple is located between the Swarnamukhi River and hill. Sri Kalahasti is also known as “Kailash of the South” and “Kashi of the South.” The construction of this temple started during the reign of the Pallava Dynasty and was completed in 3 phases.
After the Pallava Kings, Chola Kings and kings of Vijayanagara Empire who ruled afterwards also contributed to its construction by including their own architectural styles in it. For this reason, Sri Kalahasti Temple is a combo of Pallava, Chola, and Vijayanagara artistry. The temple is a favorite of both tourists and devotees. It is a storehouse of sights though the shops around the temple do diminish its beauty to a small extent. Legend of Sri Kalahasti says that Siva came to know about the devotion of a spider, snake, and an elephant, and he came in the form of air to bless them and give them salvation. The main deity of the temple, Kalahasteeswara, faces the west and is believed to be a self-manifested linga. Even the priests are not supposed to touch the linga.
Another deity of this temple is Gnana Prasunambika who faces the east. This goddess is considered as the sister of Tirupati Venkatachalapathy. The Satya Siva Sundara Dakshinamurthy faces the south, and Pathala Ganapathi faces the north. The idol of Pathala Vinayaka is in an underground cell of the temple. Apart from these, there are other demideities like Surya Narayana and Subramanian and several other lingas. Some of the other idols are that of Dharmaraja, Yama, Suryan, Chandran, Shani, Vyazham, Budhan, Shukran, etc. It is doubtful if there is any other temple as this with the main deities facing all 4 directions and having so many demideities. If I start talking about the architectural style of the temple, there is lot more to say. There are 3 entrance towers (gopuram) here which display architectural craftsmanship of those days.
The Rajagopuram through which Kalahasteeswara comes out for giripradakshina (walking around the hill) is 120 feet tall. Besides this, the 100-pillar temple pavilion (Mandapa) built by Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagara Kingdom is an architectural wonder. There are other mandapas also, like the 16-pillar Mandapa, Nagareshwara Mandapa, Gurupasana Mandapa, Kota Mandapa, all of them constructed in granite, are awe-inspiring. On a hill on the southern side of the temple, there is another temple dedicated to Brahma and Kaneswaran and yet another one on the hill on the northern side, dedicated to Durga. There are around 100 steps to ascend the hill to reach these temples.
In the rays of the setting sun, the view of Kalahasti from top of the hill is a beautiful one. Though water is less, the lovely River Swarnamukhi flowed slowly resembling a golden blanket in the sunrays. The buildings below seemed to shine in the twilight. The sight of the hill far away was spine-chilling, like the jet-black hair of Siva. I sat on a stone witnessing the day fading away and night growing. It’s time for me to go back to my room. As planned, I’ll be leaving for Tirupati tomorrow morning. The details of the journey to Tirupati will be included in the next part.
