Kanipakam Vinayaka Temple
Location
Kanipakam Vinayaka Temple is located at Kanipakam village in Irala
mandal in Chitoor district of Andhra Pradesh. It is situated just 11 km
away from the district headquarters. The temple is popularly known as
“Sri Varasidhi Vinayaka Swamy Temple”. It is the holy residence of Lord
Ganesha, also known as Lord Vinayaka in South India. The idol of Lord is
self-manifested one. Kanipakam is very close to Karnataka and Tamil
Nadu borders.
About the Temple
The temple was established in the early 11th century by Kulothunga
Chola, the great Chola King and then developed further by the rulers of
the Vijayanagara dynasty. There are many myths and legends associated to
the temple.
According to one legend, there were three brothers who used to live in
this village. Each one was born with physical deformities. They were
deaf, blind and dumb by birth. As they were farmers, they used to earn
their livelihood by cultivating their small piece of land. In ancient
times, the water was drawn from the well by the Piccota system.

Therefore, one of those farmers used channels to irrigate their
fields, while the other two used to draw water. One day, they came to
know that the water in the well dried up. To see the actual cause of it,
one of them got into the well and started digging it up. As he was
doing his work, his shovel struck a stone like formation. He was shocked
to see blood coming out from it. The clear water of the well soon
turned into blood red colour. Thus, amazed by this divine experience,
all the three brothers got rid of their deformities on the spot. As soon
as the villagers came to know about this miracle, they flocked to the
well and tried to dig the well further. But their attempt goes in vain
as the “Swayambhu” idol of Lord Vinayaka emerged from the whirling
waters. The villagers started to offer coconuts with prayers beneath the
new idol and as a result, coconut’s water covered the entire area of
1.3 acres. Kani symbolises wetland and Parakam means flow of the water
in Tamil. This lead to the name of the village as “Kaniparakam” and
later was pronounced as “Kanipakam”. Even today, the original well
exhibits the real idol. The springs of the well are considered as
eternal. The holy water from the well overflows even today, during every
rainy season. The most interesting and striking feature of the idol is
that it is still growing in size. The knees and the abdomen of the idol
can be seen at present. An avid devotee had offered a “Kavacham” to the
Lord fifty years ago and now it doesn’t fit the idol and out of size.
Theertham, the holy water from well is offered to every devotee who
comes here.

One more legend associated to the temple is of Bahuda River. There
were two brothers named Sankha and Likhita who was on pilgrimage to
Kanipakam. As the journey was long and tiring, Likhita felt hungry and
without his elder brother advice, plucked the mango from mango grove and
ate it. Sankha felt bad and reported this incident to the ruler of the
area and demanded punishment for this sin. Thus, Likhita was punished
severely which resulted in loss of his both arms. Before entering the
Kanipakam temple, they took bath in the river flowing near to the
temple. As soon as Likhita took a dip in the sacred waters of the river,
his chopped arms were restored. This miracle leads the ruler to rename
the river as Bahuda River (bahu means human arm).
The Swayambhu idol of Lord Vinayaka is the upholder of the truth. The
villagers of Kanipakam have a belief that, without the interference of
the court, police and middlemen, the disputes are settled. It is all due
to the purification and transformation of the hearts of the rivals
under the Lord’s divine spell.
Best Time to Visit
August to March
Temple Timings
The temple remains open for public from 4AM to 9:30PM every day.
The annual Brahmotsavam commences from Ganesh Chaturthi which comes
in the month of August or September. It goes on for 20 days with all
traditional rituals and exuberance. The Utsavamurthi (Festive idol) is
taken out in procession on all the days joyfully decked on different
vahanams (carriages). The soulful participation of the devotees is mind
boggling. This festival attracts pilgrims from all over the country.
Official website
For more details about the temple,visit
www.kanipakamvinayaka.org .
Transportation
By Air
Tirupati Airport is the nearest one, situated 82 km away from the
temple. Regular flights are available from Chennai, Hyderabad and
Bengaluru to Tirupati. Nearest International Airport is at Chennai
(160km), which is connected to all major cities of India and abroad.
By Rail
Chitoor railway station is the nearest one, 12 km away and is well connected to major cities of India.