Srikalahasti Temple

శ్రీకాళహస్తీశ్వర స్వామి ఆలయం

Shiva · Srikalahasteeswara · with Gnana Prasunambika

Vayu linga (air)

Srikalahasti, Tirupati district, Andhra Pradesh · Shaiva tradition

The temple is one of the five Pancha Bhoota Sthalams, where Shiva is worshipped as the element air in the form of the Vayu linga.

The story begins: “Three creatures worshipped Shiva at this place: a spider, a serpent and an elephant.”

Read the story
Directions

At the gate

Darshan hours
  • 5:30 am – 9:30 pm · Temple open
Darshan times are not published separately.
Getting there
Train: Tirupati railway station (TPTY)Air: Tirupati International Airport (TIR)

Not yet confirmed: dress code, phone rules, entry for visitors of other faiths, walking distance. Ask at the temple office or enquiry counter — and if you know, tell us. hello@aalayakatha.com

Full visiting details

Sthala purana

The story of this place

2 accounts are recorded. Each is told separately, in the words of its own tradition — they are never merged.

Family note: this story includes violence or death.
Told in: The account published by Incredible India (Ministry of Tourism)

The spider, the serpent and the elephant

Three creatures worshipped Shiva at this place: a spider, a serpent and an elephant. Each died in the course of that worship.

Shiva revived all three and granted them moksha, liberation. The account published by Incredible India uses the episode to explain the name of both the town and the temple. Sri is the spider, Kala the serpent, Hasti the elephant — Sri-Kala-Hasti.

The creatures are also said to be visible in the sanctum itself. The base of the linga is described as showing a spider, two elephant tusks and a five-headed serpent.

The longer sthala purana — how each creature worshipped, and how their worship brought them into conflict — is not retold here, because we have not yet read it in a primary text or in the devasthanam's own publication.

Where this account comes from

  • Government: Ministry of Tourism, Government of India — Incredible India, "Srikalahasti Temple" incredibleindia.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
Told in: The account published by Incredible India (Ministry of Tourism) of Kannappa, one of the 63 Nayanars of the Periya Puranam

Kannappa's eyes

Kannappa was a hunter who worshipped the linga at Srikalahasti. When he saw blood flowing from the linga, he offered his own eyes to Shiva. Shiva restored his sight and granted him liberation. The episode makes the temple the place of one of the best-known acts of devotion in the Shaiva tradition, and Kannappa's name is still carried into the temple's festival calendar.

Read this account

Kannappa was a hunter who came to the linga at Srikalahasti and worshipped it in his own way.

One day he saw blood flowing from the linga. In the account published by Incredible India, he responded by offering his own eyes to Shiva. Shiva restored his sight and granted him moksha, liberation.

The Tamil Shaiva tradition counts Kannappa among the 63 Nayanars, and his life is told at length in Sekkizhar's Periya Puranam. That fuller narrative — his origins as a hunter, the manner of his worship and the exact course of the episode with the eyes — is not retold here, because we have not yet read it in that text.

Where this account comes from

  • Government: Ministry of Tourism, Government of India — Incredible India, "Srikalahasti Temple" incredibleindia.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

In one minute

Why Srikalahasti Temple matters

Each line says who it comes from and how settled it is. What the labels mean

  1. The temple is one of the five Pancha Bhoota Sthalams, where Shiva is worshipped as the element air in the form of the Vayu linga.

    Source for: The temple is one of the five Pancha Bhoota Sthalams, where Shiva is worshipped
    • Government: Ministry of Tourism, Government of India — Incredible India, "Srikalahasti Temple" incredibleindia.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

  2. The name joins three devotees — Sri the spider, Kala the serpent and Hasti the elephant — and the base of the linga is described as showing a spider, two elephant tusks and a five-headed serpent.

    Source for: The name joins three devotees — Sri the spider, Kala the serpent and Hasti the e
    • Government: Ministry of Tourism, Government of India — Incredible India, "Srikalahasti Temple" incredibleindia.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

  3. It is known as a Rahu-Ketu kshetra, where abhishekam with milk, ghee and panchamrita is offered to appease Rahu and Ketu.

    Source for: It is known as a Rahu-Ketu kshetra, where abhishekam with milk, ghee and pancham
    • Government: Ministry of Tourism, Government of India — Incredible India, "Srikalahasti Temple" incredibleindia.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

  4. Sundarar's Tevaram hymn 7.26 is addressed to the Lord of Tirukkalatti, which places this Andhra Pradesh temple among the Paadal Petra Sthalams sung by the Nayanars.

    Source for: Sundarar's Tevaram hymn 7.26 is addressed to the Lord of Tirukkalatti, which pla
    • Hymn: Tevaram, Seventh Tirumurai 7.26 (Tirukkalatti), Sundarar; text and V. M. Subramanya Aiyar's English translation on thevaaram.org thevaaram.org · seen 2026-10-09

Shilpa

When you visit, look for…

Dravida

Incredible India describes the temple as Dravidian in style, with heavy carving and Chola-era engravings. The page gives the Rajagopuram's height as about 120 m; that figure is left out here because it has not been checked against an architectural survey.

  • Sanctum

    Marks on the linga's base

    The spider, the two elephant tusks and the five-headed serpent described on the base of the linga — the three devotees of the temple's name.

  • Gateway tower

    Vijayanagara Rajagopuram

    The main gateway tower, added under the Vijayanagara Empire in the sixteenth century.

    Vijayanagara, 16th century

  • Inscription

    Chola engravings

    Engravings of several Chola emperors recording renovations.

    Chola

  • Sacred tree

    Sthala vriksha

    The sacred banyan within the premises, where visitors tie threads while praying for their wishes.

  • Sacred tree

    Banyan

    Ficus benghalensis

    Incredible India records a sacred banyan within the premises.

  • Sacred water

    Swarnamukhi river

    The temple stands on its bank. Incredible India records Mayura, Chandra and Devendra as freed from curses after bathing in it.

Yatra

Plan your visit

Darshan times

Temple open5:30 am – 9:30 pm

Confirm on the day. Times change on festival days and without notice. These times are not from the temple’s own notice.

Before you go

  • No dress code or entry rules have been confirmed for this temple yet. Traditional, modest clothing is always the safe choice; ask at the entrance.

Walking, steps and access

We have not yet confirmed how much walking or climbing is involved, or whether there is wheelchair access. If you are travelling with elders, ask at the temple office or the devasthanam enquiry counter before you set out.

Getting there

  • By air: Tirupati International Airport (TIR)Incredible India also lists Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru airports.
  • By train: Tirupati railway station (TPTY)Named by Incredible India as the nearest station.

PIN 517644 (not yet checked with India Post)

Sevas

  • Rahu-Ketu pujaAbhishekam with milk, ghee and panchamrita offered to appease Rahu and Ketu. Ticket tiers and timings are not carried here until read from the devasthanam's own site.

Prices as published by the temple when we checked. They change; the temple’s booking site is final.

The order of darshan

No published source gives the order in which to visit the shrines here, so we have not invented one. Follow the queue and the temple staff.

Festivals

  • Maha Shivaratri

    Feb–Mar · Magha, Krishna paksha, Chaturdashi

    The main festival of the year, when, according to Incredible India, thousands of devotees gather at the temple.

Itihasa

Through time

Two registers, kept apart on purpose: what the Puranas tell, and what the historical record shows. They answer different questions and we do not force them to agree.

In the Puranas and tradition

  1. The spider, the serpent and the elephant worship here

    The origin account behind the name Sri-Kala-Hasti, as published by Incredible India. No yuga or text is specified there.

    Source for: The spider, the serpent and the elephant worship here
    • Government: Ministry of Tourism, Government of India — Incredible India, "Srikalahasti Temple" incredibleindia.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

In the historical record

  1. c. 401–500

    Inner temple

    Incredible India reports that the inner temple is said to date to the fifth century. The page gives this as tradition, not as an inscriptional or archaeological finding.

    Source for: Inner temple
    • Government: Ministry of Tourism, Government of India — Incredible India, "Srikalahasti Temple" incredibleindia.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

  2. c. 1001–1100

    Chola outer temple

    Incredible India credits the outer temple and main structure to the Chola emperor Rajendra Chola I in the eleventh century, with later Chola renovations recorded in engravings, and the entrance gopurams to Kulottunga Chola I.

    Source for: Chola outer temple
    • Government: Ministry of Tourism, Government of India — Incredible India, "Srikalahasti Temple" incredibleindia.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

  3. c. 1501–1600

    Vijayanagara Rajagopuram

    Incredible India dates the main gopuram, the Rajagopuram, to the Vijayanagara Empire in the sixteenth century.

    Source for: Vijayanagara Rajagopuram
    • Government: Ministry of Tourism, Government of India — Incredible India, "Srikalahasti Temple" incredibleindia.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

  4. Sundarar sings Tirukkalatti

    Hymn 7.26 of the Tevaram is addressed to the Lord of Tirukkalatti. No date is given here, because we have not yet found a scholarly dating of the poet.

    Source for: Sundarar sings Tirukkalatti
    • Hymn: Tevaram, Seventh Tirumurai 7.26 (Tirukkalatti), Sundarar; text and V. M. Subramanya Aiyar's English translation on thevaaram.org thevaaram.org · seen 2026-10-09

Around here

Worth the detour

Nearby places have not been added yet.

Also in Tirupati district

Sources

Where this page comes from

  • Government: Ministry of Tourism, Government of India — Incredible India, "Srikalahasti Temple" incredibleindia.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
  • Hymn: Tevaram, Seventh Tirumurai 7.26 (Tirukkalatti), Sundarar; text and V. M. Subramanya Aiyar's English translation on thevaaram.org thevaaram.org · seen 2026-10-09

Cite this page

Aalaya Katha Foundation, “Srikalahasti Temple”, Aalaya Katha, version last reviewed 2026-10-09. https://www.aalayakatha.com/temple/srikalahasti (accessed ).

Last reviewed 2026-10-09. How we label sources and confidence