GANESHA TEMPLES




KANIPAKAM
Kanipakam is 12 kms from chittoor and 75 kms from Tirupathi. The famous temple of Sri Varasiddhi Vinayaka of Kanipakaam is situated on chittoor - Aragonda Road. Kanipakam is closer to Karnataka and Tamilnadu borders.
The word ‘Kani’ means wet land and ‘Parakam’ means ‘flow of water into the wet land’.
HISTORY OF THE PLACE:
Once upon a time there lived three farmers with physical deformities. They were dumb, deaf and blind by birth. They owned a piece of land. 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 a few seconds the entire water in the well turned blood red in colour. Thus, startled by this divine experience all the three became normal getting rid of their deformities. As soon as the villagers came to know about this miracle, they thronged to the well and tried to deepen the well further. But their attempt proved futile because the ‘Swayambhu’ idol (the self manifested) of Lord Vinayaka emerged from the swirling waters. After this miracle, coconuts were offered and the theertham from the coconuts covered the entire area. This led to the modification in the usage of the word ‘Kaniparakam’ and was later pronounced as ‘Kanipakam’. Even today the idol is in the original well and the springs of the well are perennial and eternal. During the rainy season, the holy water from the well overflows even today. Another striking and strange feature of the idol is that it is still growing in size! At present we can see the knees and the abdomen of the idol. An ardent devotee had offered a ‘Kavacham’ (armour) to the lord fifty years ago, but today it is out of size and doesn’t fit the idol. The holy water from the well is offered to the devotees as Tirtham (Holy water).
LEGEND ASSOCIATED TO THE TEMPLE:
Long 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 piligrimage. 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’

The swayambhu idol of Kanipakam is the up-holder of truth. Day to day disputes between people are resolved by taking a special oath (Pramanam). The people involved in the disputes i.e., both the parties take a holy dip in the temple tank (Pushkarini) and swear before the lord. It is taken as gospel truth. There are instances when the person who committed the sin voluntarily agrees as soon as he had the dip and much before entering the temple itself. It seems the lord dawns invisibly on the sinner and makes him repent & feel guilty for his sinful deeds. Thus the glory of Sri Varasiddhi Vinayaka spread far and wide and the honourable courts upheld the ‘Special Oath’ in their judicial pronouncements.

The villagers of Kanipakam believe that the disputes are settled without the interference of the court, police and middlemen. It is all due to the purification of the hearts of the rivals under his divine spell. The guilty accept their guilt and pray to HIM for his forgiveness. Devotees who wish to give up bad habits like smoking, drinking, etc take bath in the pushkarini and take are oath in the temple at Kanipakam by contributing Rs. 516/-. The time of the seva is between 5 pm to 5.15 pm everyday which is called Pramanam.
IMPORTANCE OF LORD VINAYAKA:
First letter of all the mantras is ‘Om’. Om symbolizes ‘Ganapathi’ the God of the Ganas, who fought against the demons and the rakshas (the evil doers). When the yagnas could not be continued and Rishis were not let to live in peace and to continue to perform the rituals they approached Lord Siva. Lord Siva was pleased with the penance of the Rishis and assured them that they would be relieved of their suffering. That was the advent of Lord Vinayaka as the lord of the Ganas assuming the position of Ganadhipathi. Lord Vinayaka is also called Parvathi Thanaya, Ganesha, Lambodara, Gajanana, etc., related to his birth. There are various versions in the Puranas like Padma Purana, Linga Purana, and Siva Purana about his divine birth and existence who is worshipped by Gods too, to overcome obstacles before their start anything. Even Pooja to other Gods and Goddesses begins with invocation to Lord Ganesha. Lord Vishnu proclaimed that worship revolved to any God is futile, if it is not invoked by the blessings of Lord Vinayaka. 
The self manifested idol of Kanipakam (Swayambhu)
The idols are of three types. In some holy places the presiding deities are not man made. They are self manifested. In some places Gods themselves install the idols of other deities. There are some holy places where idols are installed by humans and worshipped. Kanipakam Varasiddhi Vinayaka is a self manifested one.

Soulful prayers of ardent devotees are well received and performing Abhishekam to the self - manifested idol fulfils are wishes. People affected by chronic diseases and Grahapeedas (planetary disorders) offer special sevas to the Swayambhu Vigraha and are sure to get relieved from the problems by His Grace.

How to Reach:
Kanipakam is well connected by road from Tirupathi, Tiruthani, Kuppam, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ananthapur, Cuddapah, Vellore and other places. There are regular bus services operated by the APSRTC. The nearest Railway Station is Chittoor and the next is Tirupathi