11/09/2025
Srikalahasteeswara temple
The temple's name comes from the legend of a devoted spider (Sri), a serpent (Kala), and an elephant (Hasti) who worshipped Shiva with great devotion at this location bringing spiritual power to the place.
A spider worshipped the Shiva Lingam by weaving intricate webs to protect it from rain and sun. Lord Shiva caused fire and destroyed its effort many times. Finally it offered its life by jumping into fire as it could not succeed in its effort to provide shelter to the Lord. Lord was pleased with its devotion and granted salvation to it.
A cobra worshipped Lord Shiva by offering rare gems. After the snake had left, an elephant came to worship. In preparation of worship it sprayed the altar with water from its trunk scattering the gems. It then proceeded to decorate the altar with leaves from a holy tree. When the cobra returned it was angered to see its offerings disrespected and replaced by mere leaves. So it replaced the leaves with gems. This charade repeated itself every day until the cobra became angry and decided to punish whoever was destroying 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 for the Lord, Shiva resurrected them, gave them liberation and took them into his own body. 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.
Another legend of this temple is Kannappa. Kannappa's story is one of the most moving examples of pure, selfless devotion. Kannappa, a tribal hunter, worshipped Lord Shiva with whatever he had—water from his mouth, flowers he brought in his hair and the meat he hunted. One day, he noticed blood oozing from the eyes of the Shiva Linga. Without hesitation he offered his own eyes to stop the bleeding. As Kannappa reached for his other eye, Lord Shiva stopped him and blessed him, restoring his sight and granting him a place among the revered 63 Nayanars.
Do you know ?
A miraculous oil lamp within the inner sanctum of the temple constantly flickers, even though there is no breeze, which devotees interpret as a sign of Shiva's divine presence.
Om Namah Shivaya 🙏🏽