Srikalahasti Temple

Srikalahasti Temple, or Srikalahasteeswara Temple, is a Shiva temple on the bank of the Swarnamukhi River in Srikalahasti town. Its name joins the words for spider, serpent and elephant, three creatures said to have worshipped Shiva until death and then been granted liberation; their forms are shown at the base of the linga. Another legend tells of the hunter Kannappa, who offered his eyes to the deity. Parvati is worshipped here as Gnana Prasunambika Devi, and a sacred banyan in the grounds is hung with prayer threads.

The inner shrine goes back to the 5th century. Rajendra Chola I built the outer temple in the 11th century, Kulottunga Chola I added gateway towers, and the Vijayanagara rulers raised the main rajagopuram in the 16th century, in the Dravidian style.