Kanipakam Vinayaka Temple

One of the most famous Vinayaka temples in Andhra Pradesh, is that of Kanipakam in Chittor district.

Kanipakam located in Irala Mandal of Chittor dt, gets it's name from the Telugu word, Kani meaning wetland, Pakam meaning flow of Water. It is so called, as the Vinayaka Murti was found in a water well, here, and is a Syawambhu one. Apparently there were 3 brothers in the village, one was deaf, another dumb and the 3rd blind. One day they found that water had dried out in the well, and as they dug deeper, it struck the idol of Vinayaka in the well, gushing blood.

The brothers were cured of their handicap,and the wonderstruck villagers, finding the murti of Vinayaka in the well, built a temple for it, and it began to be called as Kanipakam, as was found in a water well. This is the Swayambhu Murthi of Vinayaka at Kanipakam, who is believed to have the powers to grant any wish, and this is reason why it's one of the more visited temples in recent times. One more interesting feature of Kanipakam Temple is that the idol of Vinayaka keeps growing every year, much like the Nandi at Yaganti Temple, in Kurnool. Right now, you can see the knees and abdomen of Vinayaka.

The river Bahuda, flows by Kanipakam, so called as it's believed a devotee called Likhita, whose hands were chopped off for stealing from the king's orchard, were miraculously restored here. While Kanipakam is famous for it's Vinayaka Temple, the village also has 2 other smaller temples worth a visit. One is the Manikanta Swamy Temple dedicated to Shiva and another one is Varadaraja Swamy Temple.

Manikanta Swamy Temple at Kanipakam, known for it's colorful and richly decorated gopurams, believed to be constructed by Kulotunga Chola, one of the 101 Siva Temples built by him.

And this is Varadaraja Swamy Temple at Kanipakam, located near to the Vinayaka Temple. Many newly married couples come here to do the Satyanarayana Vratam for a happy married life.

Karvetinagaram Venugopala Swamy Temple near to Puttur, just an hour from Kanipakam is worth a visit too. Surrounded by hills, very picturesque, and this is the only Krishna Temple around Tirupathi.

Karvetinagaram was one of the prominent zamindaris during the Vijayanagara Empire, they were originally from Pithapuram in E.Godavari dt, who had migrated there. Sarangapani wrote around 200 Kirtanas around Venugopala Swamy, and the temple here is worth a vist.

Narayanavanam just a 30 min drive from Karvetinagaram Temple has the Kalyana Venkateswara Swamy Temple, where it's believed the marriage of Venkateswara with Padmavati took place. This temple is maintained by TTD.

And a 17 min drive from Narayanavanam takes you to the Kailaskona forest and waterfalls. Surrounded by thick forests. Very picturesque, good spot for trekking, if you are in Chennai, u can make it during weekends

Kanipakam is around 68 km from Tirupati, an hour's journey, so you can make a visit to it, and follow up with Karavetinagaram Venugopala Temple, Narayanavanam all in one day. And if u have time can visit Kailasakona too.