Kanipakam Sri Varasidi Vinayaka Swamy temple

Kanipakam Sri Varasidi Vinayaka Swamy temple |Kanipakam Sri Varasidi Vinayaka Swamy temple

Kanipakam is a village located in Irala mandal of Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh.It is home to a popular Hindu temple of Lord Ganesha called as Kanipakam Vinayaka Temple.It was constructed in the early 11th century by the Chola king Kulothunga Chola I and was expanded further in 1336 by the Emperors of Vijayanagara dynasty. Local legends claim that the idol of Ganesha continuously grows in size. The size of the temple till 20 years back would not justify to say that this temple was patronaged by Chola and Vijayanagara kings. The temples of Cholas and Vijayanagaras are normally magnificent in size and grandeur. Most of the present structures are of recent origin and the present major developmental and construction activities of the temple are well supported by offerings given to the temple by the devotees.

Kanipakam Vinayaka Temple

Kanipakam Vinayaka Temple or Sri Varasidi Vinayaka Swamy temple ( శ్రీ వరసిది వినాయక స్వామి ) is a Hindu temple of Ganesha. It is located in Kanipakam in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, India.

The temple was constructed in the early 11th century CE by the Chola king Kulothunga Chola I and was expanded further in 1336 by the Emperors of Vijayanagara dynasty.

Kani" means wetland and "Pakam" means flow of water into wetland. According to the legend of the temple there were three brothers and each one had a handicap. Viz., Dumb, Deaf and Blind. They were earning out their livelihood by cultivating a small piece of land.

Kanipakam Sri Varasidi Vinayaka Swamy temple History

In olden days water was drawn from the well by way of 'Piccota System'. As one of them used to irrigate the field through the channels, the other two used to ply on the Piccota. On one such operation they found that the water in the well got dried up and they could no longer continue their job. One of them got into the well and started digging it up. He was taken aback to see the iron implement hitting a stone like formation.

Later, he was shocked to see blood oozing out from it. Within in a few seconds the entire water inLong ago there lived two brothers Sankha and Likhita. They were on a pilgrimage to Kanipakam. As the journey was tiring, the younger brother Likhita felt hungry. Disregarding the advice of the elder brother he plucked a mango from the mango grove. Sankha felt bad and reported this to the ruler of that area and pleaded for punishment for the sin committed during the pilgrimage. Thus Likhita was punished severely being deprived of both arms.

Later they took bath in the river near Kanipakam temple. Lo Behold! The chopped arms were restored to Likhita as soon as he had a dip in the sacred waters of the river. These incidents lead the ruler to rename the river as 'Bahuda' (Bahu means human arm). Thus the river beside Kanipakam temple is now known as 'Bahuda River'.

Sri Varasiddhi Vinayaka as up-holder of 'Truth'