Located around 37 km east of Tirupati, the sacred town of Srikalahasti is famous for the Sri Kalahasteeswara Temple and the ancient textile painting art of Kalamkari. Located on the banks of River Swarnamukhi, the temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, who is worshipped in the form of vayu linga. Constructed in the 11th century, it has been praised in the works of Nakkeerar, a Tamil poet in the Tamil Sangam dynasty. As per legend, the deity was worshipped by a spider (sri) that spun a web over it while a snake (kala) placed a gem on the linga and an elephant (hasti) washed the linga with water. The vayu linga is believed to be representative of the wind and the temple stands at the place where Lord Shiva gave salvation to Kannappa, one of the 63 Saivite Nayanars.

Other Attractions in Tirupati