A lamp in the sanctum flickers, though no wind can reach it.
- Deity
- Shiva as Kalahasteeswara
- Where
- Srikalahasti காளஹஸ்தி
- Known as
- One of the Pancha Bhoota Sthalams: the element of air (in Andhra Pradesh)
- Oldest record
- Chola era
௧ The legend
The hunter who gave his eyes
A spider, a serpent and an elephant each worshipped the lingam here in their own way. The town takes its name from all three: Sri, Kala, Hasti.
Later a hunter, Thinnan, came upon the lingam in the forest and worshipped it with what he had: water from his mouth, meat from his hunt. One day he saw blood flowing from the lingam’s eye, and without a thought he cut out his own eye and placed it there.
When the other eye began to bleed, he set his foot on the spot to mark it and raised his arrow to his second eye. Shiva stopped his hand. The hunter is remembered as Kannappa, one of the sixty-three Nayanmars.
As the story is told at the temple. Legends vary in the telling.
௨ Across the centuries
Built by many hands, tier upon tier
Chola era
Chola kings
The temple is built in stone at the foot of the hills.
1516
Krishnadevaraya
The great gopuram is raised.
2010–2017
Fall and rebuilding
The old gopuram collapses and is rebuilt.
௩ What to look for
When you stand inside
The unmoving air
In a sanctum with no window, one lamp flickers as if in a breeze.
Rahu–Ketu puja
A ritual for which pilgrims come from all over the south.
௪ The temple’s year
The festivals that fill it
- சித்திரைChithiraiApr–May
- வைகாசிVaikasiMay–Jun
- ஆனிAaniJun–Jul
- ஆடிAadiJul–Aug
- ஆவணிAavaniAug–Sep
- புரட்டாசிPurattasiSep–Oct
- ஐப்பசிAippasiOct–Nov
- கார்த்திகைKarthigaiNov–Dec
- மார்கழிMargazhiDec–Jan
- தைThaiJan–Feb
- மாசிMaasiFeb–Mar
- பங்குனிPanguniMar–Apr
Maasi Feb–Mar
Maha Shivaratri
A great festival of many days.
Festival dates follow the temple’s own calendar and change each year. We confirm them before you travel.
௫ Going there
Journeys that bring you here
- Most Tamil Nadu temples close around midday and reopen in the late afternoon. Each day keeps temples for the morning and evening and puts the road in between.
- Dress traditionally and modestly. Footwear is left outside every temple.
- Darshan arrangements differ from temple to temple and can change on festival days. We confirm what is possible at each one before you travel.
To stand here yourself, with the car, the stay, the guide and the darshan arranged, ask us to plan your journey. We call you back and listen first.
Draft Legends and history are retold from widely published sources and await review. Timings, dress code and special-entry arrangements are published once each fact has a source and a review date.