July 20, 2013: The Kalahastheeswara Swamy temple, one of the pancha bhoot asthalams (temples that celebrate Shiva as the embodiment of the five primary elements) associated with Lord Shiva, (air being the element in this case), is situated in the town of Sri Kalahasti, Andhra Pradesh. This temple is situated 36 Kilometers away from the temple town of Tirupati. The inner temple was constructed around 5th Century AD and the outer temple was constructed around 12th Century AD.

Legend:

There are many legends that surround the temple. One such legend is that of a spider, cobra and an elephant who were devotees of Shiva. Once a spider (Sri) lived in the inner sanctum of the temple and worshiped the Lord by weaving many images of Shiva. One day, a breeze came up and caused the altar fire to destroy, the spider's offerings. Overcome with anger, it tried to gulp the flames, putting its life at risk in the process.

As an appreciation of its devotion, Lord Shiva appeared before the spider and granted it “Moksha” which is the freedom from further births. A cobra (kala) worshiped the Lord by offering rare gems, pearls and rubies that it brought from Nagaland, a mythical land wear serpents dwell. After the snake had a worshiped, an elephant (hasti) fresh from its bath in the nearby river, came to worship. It sprayed the altar with water from its trunk, thereby scattering the gems.

It then went on to decorate the altar with holy leaves from a tree. When the cobra returned, it was angered to see its offerings disrespected and replaced with mere leaves. It again replaced the offerings with gems. This activity continued for days, until the cobra got fed up and decided to punish whoever was ruining its offerings. When the elephant returned to worship with its leaves the cobra slithered up its trunk and injected its venom. In agony the elephant dashed its head on the stone altar in an attempt to kill the snake. The snake fell out of the trunk and died from its wounds and the elephant succumbed to the poison. 

Understanding that both had sacrificed their lives for the sake of their love of the Lord, Shiva resurrected them, gave them liberation and took them into his own body.  This is how the town came to be known as ''Sri Kalahasti''. While visiting the shrine, at the foot of the linga one can see a spider, two elephant tusks and a five-headed serpent to remind the devotee of these acts of supreme devotion.

Significance of the temple:

This temple is also known as the Rahu-Khetu kshetra. The Rahu-Khetu Sarpa dosha nivarana pooja is performed in this temple and devotees who have any of these doshas or other problems like no children or unmarried men and women can participate. It is believed that after performing this pooja whole heartedly, all the problems in life will be solved.

How to plan the trip:

Kalahasti is around 100 Kilometers from Chennai. If one has a plan to go to Tirupati and Tirumala, they can visit Kalahasti first and then proceed to Tirupati. Moreover, one can find more good quality hotels in Tirupati.

Source: chennaionline.com, DT. July 20, 2013.