KANIPAKAM VINAYAKA TEMPLESri Kanipakam Vinayaka Temple is located at a distance of 12 kms. from Chittoor in a salubtious Environment. In the olden days this was a small insignificant village known as "Viharapuri" nearby to Tamilnadu and Karnataka borders.
There is an interesting legend about the sthalapurana of this ancient temple which has 1000 years history. About 1000 years back, three physically handicapped blind, dumb and deaf persons were eaking their livelihood by cultivation a pieace of land near Viharapuri village. On one tow persons were taking out water with the help of a picot and the thisd person was irrigating the land. After some time water was exausted in the well. One person took a spade and hit a stone inside the well and blood started flowing continuously, when the three handicapped persons touched the water mixed with blood, surprisingly they became normal persons. After digging for some time they found an idol of Lord Sri Vinayaka in the well with an injury on the head oozing with blood. They could not take out the idol as it was growing in size, as they were digging. They informed the villages about this surprising phenomena. People came running with cocunuts and other pooja materials to worship the Lord Sri Vinayaka. They broke thousands of Coconuts, the coconutwater was spread to an area of one and quarter acre. In the local language it is called as "Kani". That is how the place was called as "Kanipakam" since then.
Even now we can see the well around Sri Vinayaka idol. Always water is seen around the idol. We can also see the wound on the head of the idol.
Anohter astonishing feature is that the idol is growing in size. In 1947 a devotee Sri Bezawada Siddaiah of Aragonda Gollapalli village presented a Silver Kavacha to the Lord which correctly fitted the idol. Now, it is not fitting the idol. As the idol is growing in size. Always there will be water at the same level around the base of the idol in all seasons. This sacred water is given as theertham to all other devotees.
It is believed that the idol will be growing in size regularly until the end of Kaliyuga and in the end Lord Sri Vinayaka will appear in person.
Another interesting feature here is that if a person swears (Prammanam) about a particular incident, it is taken as 'truth'. Most of the disputes are settled by this method. People take it as more than a court judgement. if anybody does false swearing beforehim, Lord Sri Vinayaka shall punish him. For this swearing ceremony a sum of Rs. 516/- is collected by temple authorities. This ceremony is done everyday. Thus people get instance justice here.
In the ancient Vedas Lord Sri Vinayaka hailed as possesser of gunas of all gods. gandharvas, demons and human beings. In 'Adarvaseershopanishath' Lord Sri Vinayaka is extolled as the parabhramha embodiment of paramathma that have (The absolute). hence by taking "Ganapathi deeksha' the devotees can fulfill all their wishes with the blessings of Lord Ganesha. The deeksha will be for a of 41 days (Mandalam), 21 days (half mandalam), 11 days (Ekadasa). It is like Swamy lyyappa (or) Lord Sivadeeksha. And the rules and regulations are almost the same. Sri Ganesh Deeksha can be started in any Ganesh Temple but should end at Sri Varasidhi Vinayaka Temple at Kanipakam only.
