TEMPLE OF VAYU LINGAM Shanmishtai

Sri Kalahasti, where Lord Siva presides in the form of one of the five elements is a great pilgrim centre.

Among the great shrines of architectural greatness and sculptural eminence, the temple of Kalahastisvara at Sri Kalahasti in Andhra Pradesh on the Chennai-Tirupati road occupies a place of honour.

The temple, dedicated to Lord Siva, is one of the major centres of worship, especially during Mahasivaratri festival, attracting devout Hindus in great numbers from far and near. The temple, also called Dakshina Kailas, is Vayu Kshetra among the Panchaboota Linga Kshetras.

Sri-Kala-Hasti (spider, serpent, elephant), or more popularily known as Kalahasti, is a small, prosperous town in Chittoor District and is located about 2 km from the Kalahasti railway station which is on the broad-gauge line that connects Gudur and Renigunta on the Southern Railway. The town is hemmed in by the low hills of the Eastern Ghats and girdled by the Svarnamukhi river.

Place of Salvation

The sanctity of Kalahasti can be gauged by the fact that it was here that Vasishta and Agastya, the great Tamil poet Nakkeerar, a hunter a spider, a serpent and an elephant, all attained salvation after worshipping Kalahastisvara.

IIllustrious Tamil saint-poets, including Sambandar, Appar, Sundarar and Manickavachakar, have sung in praise of the Lord here. It is said that Bhagavatpada Sankaracharya performed the Sri Chakra Pratishtha of this shrine. Kalahasti is dear to the Telugus as the seat of Dhurja who immortalised the shrine and the deity in his famous work, Kalahastisvara Satakam.

Vayu and Adisesha Fight

Lord Siva manifested himself here as one of the five elements, Vayu, or air, and, hence, the lingam is called the Vayu Lingam. According to an ancient lore, an altercation took place between Adisesha, the Lord of the serpents, and Vayu, the Lord of the air, and in the end three blocks of rocks separated themselves from Mount Meru and fell at the three places - Kalahasti, Tiruchi and Trincomalle (in Sri Lanka). The ever-flickering lamp in the sanctum is said to signify the presence of the Lord in the form of air.

Untouched Lingam

The most remarkable feature of the Lingam is that it is not touched, not even by the priests who perform the daily pujas. The abhishekam is done by pouring water over the Lingam from a distance and other ingredients which drain themselves by passing through the avadayar.

The shrine of Kalahastisvara was built during the time of Pallava and Thondamandala kings who had their base near Kalahasti. The 100 pillar mantap (hall), the Gali Gopuram (tower) and a few other structures were built by Krishna Devaraya, the best-known King of Vijayanagar who was a great devotee of Kalahastisvara.

The two Gopurams at the entrance of the shrine are imposing and can be seen from a distance. In the shrine are other well-carved stone idols of Vinayaka, Dakshinamurti, Lingodhbava and others. In the prakaras are tall pillars of exquisite workmanship. In the second courtyard, in an underground cell at a depth of nearly 30 feet is an icon of Vinayaka, known as Patala Vinayaka.

Other Temples

Other temples of prominence in and around Kalahasti are those of Sri Manikanteswara, Sri Nilakanteswara and Sri Parasurameswara. Nearly two km from the temple of Kalahastisvara, there is a beautiful glade, known as Loya, with a sacred tank, Loyabavi, in which devout Hindus have a ritual bath.

The place is also called Bharadwaja Ashram because it is believed that the venerable sage performed an arduous penance here as a result of which he was blessed with the vision of Lord Siva. Not far away is the Sabaralingaloka, with its natural spring and some caves.

It is said that Indra, the Lord of the Devas, worshipped Yakshesvara after installing him here. According to one account, the place is so holy that, if the initiated meditate here they will have the revelation of their ishtadeivam (the God of their choice).

Story of Kannappar

Near Kalahasti is the Kannappar hill where the Tamil poet Kannappar got back his sight and attained salvation. Kannappar, a hunter by name Tinna, while chasing an animal, came to the spot where the Lingam was. Mesmerised by the beauty and sanctity of the place, he began to worship the Lingam and offer it the meat of the animals he hunted.

Finding the place defiled by such offerings one day the priest hid himself within the sanctum to detect the culprit. But Lord Siva, to prove to the priest the devotion and greatness of Tinna, made blood come out of the Lingam's right eye. Seeing this, the hunter plucked out his right eye and tied it so that blood stopped coming out of the Lingam's right eye. To test him further, Lord Siva made blood come out of the Lingam's left eye also. Tinna at once dug out his left eye with an arrow and fixed it on the Lingam.

The Lord was pleased and appeared before him and named him Kannappar-the man who gave him the eyes, restored his vision and gave him salvation. Even today puja is offered first to the idol of the hunter-saint first.

Story of Spider, Elephant, Snake

One Madhavaran was cursed by Lord Siva to be born as a spider. There was no shrine for the Lingam, and the spider constructed a canopy over it. To test the devotion of the spider, the Lord made the lamp near the image burn so fiercely that the canopy caught fire. Unable to bear the agony caused by the destruction of the canopy, the spider fell into the flames and died. The god was immensely pleased with its devotion and granted it salvation.

An elephant from a neighouring forest used to worship the Lingam by bathing the image with the water brought in its trunk and decorating it with flowers. A serpent also worshipped the deity by placing on it the diamond stones from its hood. On seeing the stones, the elephant thought it was an act of sacrilege and removed them. Thus, the elephant and the serpent became bitter enemies.

One day, the serpent hid himself behind the image and when the elephant came, it surreptiously entered into its trunk. Unable to bear the pain, the elephant dashed its trunk with great force on the ground, as a result of which both died. The Lord, admiring their devotion to Him, granted salvation.