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Kalahasti
is surrounded by two sacred hills, and the one in the north has a temple of Durgamba, and
the other in the south has the shrine of Kannabeswara, in memory of Sage Kannappa, who
sacrificed one of his eyes as an offering to the Lord, and who when in the act of offering
the other eye also was prevented by the Lord himself. The temple Of Kalahastiswara is
situated to the west of Kalahasti hill. The two entrance Gopurams of the shrine is very
imposing. In the second court of the temple is an underground cell, where Lord Ganapati,
called here as Patala Vinayaka, is worshipped. This shrine which is 30 feet beneath the
surface, is said to mark the level of the river that passes by. The sculptures of Sage
Kannappa, Sakti Vinayaka, as well as the bronze figures of the Nayanars or Saivite
saints in the temple are very ancient and beautiful.
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