A day in Kalahasti
It was half past 10 at night and the Majestic bus terminal looked none the poorer for travelers. Espying KSRTC’s Rajahamsa, we hopped on board gladly beguiled by the charms of the cherubic bus conductor. The journey from Bangalore to Tirupati would take us approximately four and a half hours. Sri Kalahasti Temple, the abode of Kalahasteeswara was another 36 km from there.
Situated in the Chitoor district of Andhra Pradesh, Sri Kalahasti is the go-to place if the Rahu, Ketu grahams are giving you a tough time in life. Around 5 am, our bus deposited us at the Tirupati bus station, where we boarded another bus to Sri Kalahasti. An hour later we alighted to a holy dawn at the temple town.
Our hotel the Sri Sai Teja Residency Hotel was a five-minute walk from the bus stand and as we sauntered along the sleepy streets of the town, the placid waters of the River Swarnamukhi greeted us in the south. It was a modest structure that boasted of neat well-equipped rooms sufficient to cater to the needs of two unpretentious female pilgrims. After performing the necessary ablutions, we hurriedly proceeded towards the temple. The exigency of getting off rahu-ketu from our case could not be stressed enough.
The imposing temple structure faces the West and is sculpted out of a large stone hill. To its north, south and east are the Durgambika, Kannappar and Kumaraswamy hills, respectively. As we enter the temple we are greeted by a gopuram over the main gate tower which is 120 feet high. The walk from the temple gate to the main structure is lined by numerous stalls selling everything from camphor, flowers, fruits, idols to hats, chains, bangles, keychains, bags and even soft toys. As you drink in the motley of wares on display, chances are you tend to deviate from the true purpose of your visit. Nevertheless, when you finally reach the shrine you are instantly besotted by a spiritual fervor. We checked out the famous well-known rahu-ketu puja in the chart. The cheapest was Rs 300. The expensive one could cost Rs 750 or Rs 1,000. The temple would provide the items necessary for puja. Neat! I thought. Not much hassle here.
As we ruminated on how much we were prepared to bribe Lord Shiva, a kindly priest told us that it would suffice to settle for the Rs 300 package. After all, it was sincere devotion and belief that counted. After collecting the receipts for the puja, we were made to wait in a queue which lasted for 10 minutes. Then, along with our fellow devotees, equally distressed by rahu-ketu, we were herded into a hall. There under the able guidance of three to four temple priests who spouted Telugu and Tamil, we completed the rituals to appease the fate-influencing grahams.
Following the rites we entered the famous mantapam, a hall with hundred pillars, and then the sanctum sanctorum not without being spellbound by the striking architecture of the temple. After we glimpsed the main deity, we found ourselves drawn to the innumerable shops at the exit. After browsing through numerous literature on the temple and haggling over a bag or two, I finally purchased two miniature shiva lingas as ideal memorabilia back home.
The same evening we were in for a surprise. A few locals informed us that as it was Mahashivratri , we would be able to watch hundreds of couples get married along with Lord Shiva and his consort Goddess Parvati. By evening the streets wore a frenzied attitude. Policemen thronged the streets in huge numbers, some of them even finding their way to our hotel room looking for impish elements. Impressed and curious, we decided to set out on a stroll and soak in the atmosphere.
The entire town glowed in golden hues, throwing the River Swarnamukhi into resplendent grandeur. At two in the morning, we ventured into the streets to watch the grand ritual called Tirukalyanam. Hundreds of couples dotted the streets as along with the Gods they too entered into the holy world of matrimony. Having witnessed the ritual first hand, we thought it a day well-spent in the holy town after which we headed back home spiritually contented.
