Sri Kapila Theertham Foot Hills Of Tirumala In Tirupati

                                                Sri Kapila theertham

Located at the Kapilatheertam, Sri Kapila theertham Temple in Tirupati is one of the famous 108 Sacred Theerthas on Tirumala Hills. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva who is known as Lord Kapileshwara. According to the Hindu mythology, the temple has been named after a great saint, Maharishi Kapila, who was a dedicated devotee of Lord Shiva. Impressed by his firm devotion, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati gave him their divine ‘darshan’ here after which a Kapila Lingam appeared out of the Earth. In front of the temple, there is a sacred waterfall and a holy lake ‘Sarovara’. The Lingam is believed to be self-created by Lord Shiva and is also known as ‘Svayambhu’ form of Lord Shiva. The temple receives thousands of devotees seeking blessing of Lord Kapileshwara. People usually visit this holy place during the Shivratri festival and the annual Brahmotsavam festival. The breathtaking view of hundreds of deepams (lamps) illuminating the premises of the temple is a must watch during Karthika Deepam.

Kapila Theertham History:-

•The description of Kapila Theertham temple goes back to 10th century. It also has been referred as the ancient inscriptions of Kulottunga Chola Kingdoms. The history of this temple also depicts that many great empires and sages have worked for the development of the temple which included Pallava kings, Vijayanagara kings and Tirumala Mahants.
•As this temple comprises of seven lakes, it is also known as the Seshachalam. The seven peaks are called Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudadri, Anjanadri, Vrushabhadri, Narayanadri and Venkatadri. The temple is situated on Venkatadri which is the seventh peak and so it also is known as the ‘Temple of Seven Hills.’
•Medieval history The Pallavas of Kanchipuram (9th century AD), the Cholas of Tanjore (10th century), and Vijayanagara pradhans (14th and 15th centuries) were committed devotees of Lord Venkateswara. During the invasion of Srirangam by Malik Kafur in 1310–11 AD, the Ranga Mandapam of the temple served as the shelter for the presiding deity of Srirangam, Ranganatha Swamy.
•Later, under the rule of the Vijayanagara emperors, was when the temple gained most of its current wealth and size, with the donation of diamonds and gold.
•In 1517 Vijayanagara ruler Sri Krishna Deva Raya, on one of his many visits to the temple, donated gold and jewels. This enabled the Vimana (inner shrine) roofing to be gilded. Statues of Sri Krishna Deva Raya and his spouse stand in the premises of the temple. After the decline of Vijayanagara Empire, kings from states such as Mysore and Gadwal gave ornaments and valuables to the temple.
•There are many stories associated with the manifestation of the Lord in Tirumala. The temple has a murti (deity) of Lord Venkateswara, which it is believed shall remain here for the entire duration of the present Kali Yuga.

Kapila Theertham:-

According to Puranas 'Kapilamuni' of 'Paataala' (under-world) originally worshipped the Linga at Kapila Theertham. Lord Shiva is said to have blessed Sage Kapila with a vision of himself and his consort etc. But for some cause the Kapila Lingam pierced up through the earth to its surface, 'Suras' (Devatas) started worshipping it. It is also said that even before the Linga forced itself up, the Kamadhenu (celestial cow) made her way through a hole to the earth and took form here. The Shiva Lingam is made of brass in one of the shrines of Kapila Teertham.


In front of Kapila Lingam lies a very sacred 'Sarovara' (lake), which is the 'Bilam' (cavity) through which 'Kapila Maharshi' came to earth. A spring falls on the temple. Both the temple and the waterfall are considered to be highly pious. A holy dip here is believed to confer maximum benefit and rid the devout of sins.


Bhavishyottara Puranam says that Vakuladevi , before going to Aakaasha raja to discuss Srinivasa’s (Lord Balaji) marriage to Padmavathi, had a sacred bath in Kapila Theertham, as ordained by the Lord.

Shiva Linga & Rituals:-

There is a mountain cave in one of the steep and vertical faces at the foot of the Tirumala Hills, at the entrance of which you will come across the huge, magnificent temple of Lord Shiva. The waters of a mountain stream, Paapa Vinasanam come down as a huge waterfall here. As is typical of Lord Shiva’s temple, there is a huge stone statue of the seated bull, Nandi, at the entrance to the temple.
The Shiva Linga in the Kapila Theertham shrine is made of brass. There is a holy lake known as ‘Sarovara’ in the front of the Kapila Lingam shrine, which is supposed to be the ‘Bilam’ or cavity through which Kapila Maharshi came to earth. A waterfall cascades down to the temple. The temple and the waterfall are worshipped with great piety. Kapila Theertham Temple functions under the aegis of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam and is protected and maintained by them. The TTD ensures that the annual festivals conducted in this temple are comparable in grandeur to those of Tirumala, such as the Brahmotsavam.
A prominent ritual at this temple happens on the full moon day, during the month of Karthika on the occasion of its ‘mukkoti’ (three crores). All the teerthas situated in the three worlds are believed to merge into the holy waters of Kapila Theertham at noon for about ten ‘Ghatikas’(one ghatika is equivalent to 24 minutes). There is a belief that when devotees bathe in Kapila Theertham during this time, they will attain Brahmaloka or salvation from the cycle of birth and death. There is also a belief that those who perform ancestral rites, known as ‘thithi’ or ‘thadhhina’, when they offer what is known as ‘pindam’ or rice balls offered to departed souls, if they perform the rites here will be blessed. Those who have discontinued ancestral rites can perform them here to wash off their sins of non performance.
The temple conducts some special sevas or offerings in which devotees can participate by paying a fee. Festivals like Vinayaka Utsavam, Annaabhishekam, Karthika Deepam and Maha Shivarathri are celebrated in the temple, attracting thousands of devotees.
 
Special Occasions at Sri Kapileswara Swamy Temple :-
 
In the 'Annual Brahmotsavam' festival the entire Tirupati, Sri Kapileswara Swamy Temple also forms an energetic part of the festivity. For the duration of the annual Shivarathri festival, the temple is looking by thousands of devotees which is the busiest period of this temple. In kapila theertham  Shiva special occasion like Vinayaka Utsavam, Karthika Deepam, which are held with immense  and festivals.



Religious importance:-

During 'Kartika' month on the occasion of its "mukkoti" on the 'Purnima' (full moon) day, all the teerthas situated in the three world's merge into this Kapila Teertham at noon for ten 'Ghatikas'(one ghatika is equivalent to 24 minutes). It is believed that persons bathing in it at that auspicious time will attain salvation from the cycle of birth and death ('Brahmaloka').[citation needed] Moreover, those who have never offered Pindam (thidhi or thadhhina) to their departed ancestor souls can do it here and wash off your sins for non performance of it in past. 

One more auspicious day is the full moon day in the Karthika Month, while attractive a plunge at the Kapila Theertham brings deliverance and peace and an additional beautiful sight, during the Karthika Deepam the whole temple location gets underwater in a flood of light.
 Many festivals like Devi Navarathri Utsavam, Kamakshi Devi Chandana Alankaram are special Poojas and Ustavaas and  Annabhishekam,  Float Festival, Maha Sivarathri, Skanda Sashti, Arudra Darsanam Utsavam, , Kamakshi Devi Chandana Alankaram, Devotees can perform Nithyabhishekam at the temple.  
You can also perform special Pooja's and ceremonies for the blessings of Sri Kapileswara Swamy Temple. Among them the most important are

Sri Kapila Theertham  Sevas:-

S.No. Seva Price (Rs.)
1 Archana & Harathi 5.00
2 Abhisheka Darsanam 2.00
3 Sahasranama Archana 2.00
4 Nithyabhishekam - permanent 542.00
5 Nithyabhishekam - one year 42.00
6 Rudrabhishekam 50.00
7 Navagraha Abhishekam
& Archana (2 persons) 100.00
8 Archana Navagarahams 50.00
- for each graham 5.00
9 Sivaparvathula Kalyanam
(on every Mahasivarathri Day)
- for two persons (grihasthas) 250.00
10 Unjal Seva (every
Monday - for 5 persons) 116.00

The following festivals are conducted at the temple.
Vinayaka Utsavam
Annabhishekam
Karthika Deepam
Float Festival
Maha Sivarathri
Skanda Sashti
Arudra Darsanam Utsavam
Devi Navarathri Utsavam
Kamakshi Devi Chandana Alankaram
Devotees can perform Nithyabhishekam at the temple


The other places of interest are:-

Apart from some ancient Shiva temples like Gudimallam Parashurameshwara Temple, the others are Parasareswara temple in Yogi Mallavaram, Thiruchannoor Padmavathi Temple, the famous Sri Kalahashteeswara Temple and the Manikanteswara Swamy Devasthanam (Shivalayam) in Kanipakam. Some other temples are the Goddess Kamakshi temple, Veda Narayana Swamy Temple, Lakshmi Narayanaswamt Temple, Lord Ganesha’s Temple, Kumaraswamy and the Dakshineswara Temple.

1.The Tirumala Temple:-

 The seat of the Lord of the Seven Hills, Swamy Venkiteshwara, the God is an avatar of Lord Vishnu . This God is said to be second richest God in India.

2.Sri Padmavathi Ammavari Temple:-

 This temple is about 5 kms. from Tirupathi. The temple is dedicated to Goddess Padmavathi Devi, the consort of Lord Venkiteswara. Goddess Padmavathi is an avatar of Goddess Mahalakshmi.

3.Talakona Waterfall:-

 Situated 58 kms. from Tirupati, this waterfall is the highest at 270 feet in Andhra Pradesh.

4.Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam Gardens:-

 This garden is situated in 460 acres and supplies 500 kilograms of flowers to the temple every day. Believed to be built in the 14th century by two great devotees, Sri Ramanuja and Sri Andalwar.

5.Sri Venkiteswara Museum:-

 This museum in Tirupati has some rare sculptures and the displays even belong to the period when King Sri Krishna Deva Raya reigned during  the 15th century.

6.Chandragiri Palace and Fort:-

 Built during the 141st century, Chandragiri was the fourth capital of the Vijayanagara Kingdom. It was actually in the possession of the Yadava Naidus till it came under the rule of the Vijayanagar Empire in 1367. Chandragiri is only 12 Kms. from Tirupathi.

7.Rock Garden:-

 also known as ‘Shilathoranam’ is a place with natural rock formation in the shape of an arch. This rock formation, as scientists believe, is several million years old. This arch formation is one of its kind in Asia. The locals believe that Lord Venkiteswara walked under this rock formation on his way from the heavenly abode of Vaikunta to Tirumala.

8.There are some other theerthams like the Japali Theertham, Papavinasanam Theertham, Tumbhuru Theertham, Vaikunta Theertham, Akashaganga Theertham and the Ramakrishna Theertham.

How to reach Tirupati :-

•By Air:-

 The airport of Tirupati is in Renigunta about 15 kms away from the main city, where flights can be found regularly from Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. Then taxis can be used to move from the airport to the city which costs about Rs 300. The International airport nearest to Tirupati is in Chennai, which can be reached from any cities in India and abroad.

•By Train:-

 The Railway station to reach Tirupati is in Tirupati itself and connects by trains to Chennai, Bangalore, Visakhapatnam, Mumbai and Madurai which is a common balaji temple route. Another railway station can be found 15 kms away at Renigunta. It is in the Trivandrum – Delhi route that the railhead of Renigunta falls and, therefore, is reached from all cities in India.

•By Road:-

 APSRTC runs free buses from the Tirupati Railway station to Alipiri, with a frequency of 30 minutes.  Even the KSRTC buses are available from towns in Karnataka to reach tirupati.