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As
far back as in the eleventh century, this holy Kanipakam enjoyed
ample royal patronage to the building of a great temple for Lord
Siva. It was Rajarajendra, who with his Midas touch materialised
here an imposing temple and
adorned it with rare sculptural pieces. Huge sums of money were
diverted from the royal exchequer to making a magnificent Sivaalaya
with provision for all the worshipful gods like Surya, Durga ,
Brahma , besides Shanmuga, Vinayaka, Dhakshinamurti etc. The art
critics and archeologists praised this Saivate shrine highly. It is
indispensably visited by orthodox Saivates and ardent bhaktas of the
Sajiva Pratyaksha Dharmamurti Pillayarappa, the presiding deity of
this kshetra, after prayers, on their visits. Renovation is sadly
needed and it certainly rejunevates the flagging spirit of
Saivaaradhana and restores it to former glory. "Sooner the
better" utter the visiting devotees before leaving the temple
complex.
It
lies 12 km off Chittoor, the district head quarters town of the same
name, and can be reached by bus running from the old bus stand every
half an hour.
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