Srikalahasti Temple - Hindu temple in Srikalahasti - Chittoor, India

Very well managed facilities. You have the parking lot right at the entrance. Leaving your footwear at the counter you can ascend the stairs to the temple. Each steps are unusually high and you will feel this while returning. Old age people have to be carefully assisted.

We have a separate paid parking space for the cars. The cost for 50rs. There are huge crowds all the time due to the Pooja's that are being carried out for each Astrology sign. They will take our mobile for the fees amount of 15 - 20rs each and keep it. The temple is very huge and has many entrances. They also provide free food for the people. There is ticket fees of 50rs each to entire into the special darshan due to the crowd but all the people get into one line at the end. There is nothing special about buying the tickets. All priests are begging for money which is not at all good. It's very bad attitude. I personally didn't like this temple that much..

the sacred town of Srikalahasti is famous for the Sri Kalahasteeswara Temple. According to ancient Tamil sources Sri Kalahasti has been known as the 'Kailas of the South'. It was constructed in the year 1516 by Krishnadevraya - the king of the Vijayanagara empire. The elaborate structure of the Srikalahasti temple complex is breathtaking right from the entrance. It has intricate carvings of numerous mythological illustrations that one can explore in the divine surroundings. Srikalahasti located on the banks of swarnamukhi river. This temple is very famous among the people of southern India. Located around 37 km east of Tirupati, But its much closer to renigunta. You can reach there by bus from anywhere or auto from renigunta station. Transportation is very good in this part of india. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, who is worshipped in the form of vayu lingam.. The Shiva Linga is very auspicious as it is considered as one tatwa (air) among other five tatwas (earth, water, fire, air, space). This place is also famous for Rahu-Ketu puja. Srikalahasti, derives its name from the combination of the sanskrit words Sri (spider), Kala (snake) and Hasti (elephant), which once worshipped the Shiva linga here and attained moksh.

Om Namo Shri Kalahastishwaraya Namaha Srikalahasti temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva in the form of Vayu Lingam, one of the Pancha Buthas.(Vayu, Agni, Akasha, Bhumi, Varuna). The temple is also regarded as Rahu-Ketu kshetra and Dakshina Kailasa. Important Points: - Shoe, luggage, mobile and othe gadgets can be safely deposited at the entrance just before the steps. - Hardly 20 steps are there, but the height of steps are quite high. Be cautious while ascending and descending. - Usually crowded during weekends. - Darshana would hardly takes less than hour(we visited during weekdays) - There is a separate queue for Free, Rs50, Rs200 entry. - Tickets are available inside the temple. - Also you would be approached by locals, sometimes police security who offers direct entry for some extra rupees without any tickets. What can you expect? - Vayu Lingam darshana - usually referred as Rahu - Ammanavar Darshan - usually referred as Ketu Rahu-ketu Pooja: - Most of the devotees visit the temple to perform Rahu-ketu Pooja. - Ticket price for the Pooja starts from Rs500 to Rs5000. - Rs500 ticket , common Pooja would be done in a separate hall. Rituals will be explained in any of the languages ( kannada, English, Tamil, Telugu) - Pooja materials will be provided by the temple. - Pooja would continue for 45 mins and will be carried batch wise. Usually starts every 90 or 120 mins. Parking: Parking space is available very close to the entrance, just left to the temple. Hit Useful if this review is helpful

The temple visit was mostly positive. The free food was good and the temple was well cleaned .However, they charged for many things like seeing the main god, poojas ,etc.. Even though there's free darshan, it's hard to see God clearly due to people who paid for special darshan standing in front. This is a significant drawback. On the positive side, the no-phone policy inside the temple was a good decision. Outside the temple, some shops seemed money-minded, so it's wise to double-check information and be cautious.

Temple is very famous for a few Poojas like rahu-kethu sarpa dosha nivarana, rudrabhikhesham, Chandi homam,rudra homam and other pujas.. if we know any of the pujaris in the temple, we can get special attention by spending a little amount.

Very peaceful place to visit and also there is no rush at all in the temple...there is no phn availability inside temple... So many shiva lingas was there.... All the experience is good

*Temple Timings:6am to 9pm , but there will be break for some time *Darshanam timings :7.00am to 11.30 am. Temple remains open on all days. The afternoon hours are from 1 pm to 5 pm Evening hours are from 6 pm to 9 pm. The waiting time is typically between 45 to 60 minutes.on festival days ranging from 2 to 3 hours. *Tickets are available for Dharshanam from 50/-rs * Mobiles are not allowed in the temple but you can keep in locker type for :20/-rs each phone. * shoe stand and bag stand present at entrance of the temple for shoe pair :Rs 10/-, and you can leave at any temple stall but paid. *Dress code : any Decent outfits in respectable manner, There are no specific restrictions on the type of attire but dress modestly. * Here Rahu Ketu poojas are available.