Srikalahasti Temple

According to Indian mythology, the temple was named after 3 great devotees of the Lord, the snake, spider and elephant. The snake, spider and elephant used to worship a lingam in the forest. The elephant used to shower the lingam daily, bringing water from the Suvarnamukhi river. The spider would weave a web around the lingam to protect it from dust. The snake would adorn the lingam with its jewel. One day, the elephant mistook the spider’s web for dust and washed it away, hoping to cleanse the lingam. The snake’s jewel also got washed away. As a result, the snake and spider were infuriated. The snake slithered up the elephant’s trunk, killing itself in the process. The elephant ran amok, dashing its trunk against the lingam. The spider, which had embraced the lingam, was crushed to death. The elephant also died of the snake’s poison. The Lord decided to grant them moksh, on account of their devotion. The snake and elephant went on to heaven, where as the spider was reborn as a king.

This chola king went on to build a lot of temples for the Lord, but in all the temples, reminiscent of its anonymity with the elephant, the entrances were made so small, that not even a baby elephant could enter the temple.

Another legend is that the Lord punished Goddess Parvati and told her to get rid of her heavenly body. The Goddess performed her penance on earth with utmost devotion and sincerity. Pleased with her devotion, the Lord gave her a heavenly body a hundred times more beautiful than the previous one.