Kanipakam – a temple town near Chittoor, Andhrapradesh is famous for the Sri Swayambu Varasidhi Vinayakaswamy Temple ! On a road trip from Bangalore to Tirupati , decided to visit this temple as it’s en-route with not much detour and I am glad I did. Beautiful and huge temple complex. The main deity here is Lord Vinayaka and the idol is said to be Swayambu meaning self manifesting.
Temple dates back to the 11th century with expansion and renovations ensuring its well maintained. There is also a temple tank in front of the main entrance that adds a pleasant sight and a soothing aura to the peaceful environment. There are entry tickets priced at Rs 10, 50 and 100 depending on how quick one wants to have a darshan or there is a free entry line too. Mobile Phones and Cameras are not allowed inside but there are cloak rooms available outside the temple for safely storing them.
The architecture inside is beautiful and the carvings and artwork in the temple definitely resembles history. There are many legends on the spiritual powers of the water in the well from where the idol originated and people consider it as a divine blessing. There are many shops outside selling quite a few things including toys, fancy items, pooja material, spices and prasadam.
And guess what, I got a chance to meet Mahatma Gandhi too, well not in reality though.
If driving from Bangalore, it would take less than 4 hours to reach the temple. We had started in the morning and with a breakfast stop-over , we ended up here around noon. It was burning hot , but the visit was totally worth it. Good thing here is the temple is open all day long with an hour in the morning and evening closed for some rituals. It’s a good weekend trip to head too !
Location – https://goo.gl/maps/hL6pC2H2tBP2
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