Kanipakam Varasiddhi Vinayaka Temple – The Living Miracle of Chittoor

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Did you know that in the small village of Kanipakam, located in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, there exists a temple where the deity is believed to grow in size? This is the Sri Varasiddhi Vinayaka Swamy Temple, more popularly called the Kanipakam Ganesha Temple.

Photo courtesy: Wiki Commons


Origin and Legends

It is believed that the temple was originally constructed in the early 11th century CE by Kulotunga Chola I and later expanded by the Vijayanagara kings in the 14th or 15th century. But the temple’s true significance lies in its fascinating legends.

Nearly a thousand years ago, three brothers lived near the present temple site. Each of them suffered from a physical disability; one was blind, another was deaf, and the third was mute. They survived by cultivating a small patch of land.

One day, while they were drawing water from a well, the water ran dry. One brother climbed down to deepen the well and struck a stone with his spade. To his astonishment, blood began to gush out of the rock, turning the well’s water red. What followed was even more extraordinary; all three brothers were instantly cured of their disabilities.

When villagers gathered and attempted to dig further, they discovered a swayambhu (self-manifested) murti of Lord Ganesha. Unable to locate its full form, they understood it to be a divine emergence. The brothers and villagers offered coconuts in devotion, and the flowing coconut water is believed to have irrigated one and a quarter acres of land. This gave rise to the name Kanipakam — from Kani (wetland) and Pakam (flow of water).

The Growing Deity

The self-manifested icon of Sri Varasiddhi Vinayaka is depicted in a serene Lalitasana posture. The divine form, emerging naturally from within the earth, sits with one leg folded and the other resting downward in relaxed composure. Both hands rest gently on the knees, while the gracefully curved trunk extends to the left.

The murti of Ganesha remains in the original well, always surrounded by water that never dries up. During monsoons, the well even overflows, and the sacred water (tirtha) is distributed to devotees.

An astonishing belief here is that the icon is growing with time. When first discovered, only the head was visible. Today, the murti is seen up to the abdomen. A silver kavacham (armour) donated in 1947 no longer fits the deity, serving as proof of this remarkable phenomenon.

The Lord of Justice

Kanipakam Vinayaka is also regarded as the Lord of Justice (Satya Pramanala Devata). Devotees with disputes take a dip in the sacred temple tank before swearing before the deity. It is widely believed that no one who takes a false oath before Kanipakam Vinayaka escapes divine justice, a tradition respected even during the British era.

Temple Architecture and Icons

Though the temple has expanded greatly over centuries, its sanctum preserves the ancient well where the swayambhu Ganesha is seated. Water is clearly seen oozing from the ground around the murti.

Inside and around the complex, I observed:

  • Navagraha shrine within the premises.

  • Two kavachams (protective armours) of different sizes, one from 1947 and another from 2008, displayed separately, signifying the growth of the deity.

  • A separate shrine housing a Vijayanagara-period Hanuman, carved in the typical style where the deity faces his left in side profile with his raised right arm.

  • Koshta deities along the newly built temple walls; Ganesha, Dakshinamurti, Vishnu, Brahma, and Durga.

  • Seventeen metal icons of various forms of Ganesha arranged in a dedicated shrine.

  • A charming shrine for Ganesha with Riddhi and Buddhi in metal icon form.

  • Large stucco images of Ganesha and Shiva recently erected outside the temple, greeting pilgrims.

The temple has grown into a vast complex comparable to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam, with multiple darshan queues, special entry tickets, and pilgrim facilities.

Festivals and Pilgrimage

The highlight of the temple calendar is the annual Brahmotsavam, celebrated for 21 days starting from Vinayaka Chaturthi. Each day, the utsava murti (processional deity) is taken out on different vahanams, witnessed by thousands of pilgrims from across India.

The Kanipakam Ganesha Temple is not just a shrine; it is a living legend. A self-manifested and ever-growing deity, a temple where truth is upheld, and a sacred site where faith continues to flourish.

If you happen to travel near Chittoor or Tirupati, do take time to experience this extraordinary temple.

Happy travelling.

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Location: Kanipakam, Andhra Pradesh 517131, India

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