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Srikalahasti decked up for Maha Shivaratri
- Bhakta Kannappa gets first puja in Srikalahasti
- 13-day Brahmotsavams conclude on February 26
Tirupati: The famous Srikalahasteeswara temple is all decked up for Maha Shivaratri celebrations on Saturday. The 13-day Brahmotsavams began on February 13 and will end on February 26. The temple attracts a huge number of devotees on Shivaratri and this time it is expected that around three lakh people may throng the temple to offer prayers on the auspicious day for which the temple management has made elaborate arrangements.
The famous Shivaite temple has many historical attractions due to which its importance has been growing with every passing year. Srikalahasteeswara is worshipped as Vayu Linga, one of Shiva's Pancha-BhootaLingas and is considered as 'South Kasi'.
The temple management offers first puja to Srikalahasteeswara's staunch devotee Kannappa who was a hunter. He was believed to have plucked his eye to offer to SrikalahasteeswaraLinga after he noticed that one of the eyes of the Shiva Linga was bleeding.
After placing the eye on the Linga, he noticed that the other eye also started bleeding. He decided to pluck his second eye too. To find out where he has to place that eye exactly on the Linga as he becomes blind, he placed his toe on Lingaand removed his second eye. Later, Lord Shiva appeared before him and blessed him by restoring his two eyes.
Considering him the ardent devotee, the temple management starts Maha Shivaratri festivities by offering the prayers first to him at the temple located at a hillock near the main temple of Srikalahasti.
The Dwajarohanam is held on the first day followed by Dwajarohanam of Srikalahas symbols of these three creatures – Spider at the bottom, a five-hooded snake on top and elephant-tusks on either side and is called as Srikalahasteeswara.
A famous poet of yesteryears Dhoorjati, one of the eight court poets of King Sri Krishnadevaraya, was another great devout of Lord Srikalahasteeswara. He expressed his devotion even through his works 'SrikalahasteeswaraMahatyam' and SrikalahasteeswaraShatakam' in which he expressed his innate feelings on the Lord and they became very popular.
In the recent times, Siva Deeksha has become popular at this temple during Maha Shivaratri time. Devotees don a special costume for a short period of abstinence and follow all stringent norms in the process of Deeksha.
