Srikalahasthi Temple darshan timings appear so inconsistently online that two guides often list different closing times. The temple does not publish a single master timetable. So much of what circulates is guesswork, copied from one page to the next.
This guide separates what the Sri Kalahasteeswara Swamy Vari Devasthanam actually confirms about Srikalahasthi Temple darshan timings from what only reaches us second-hand. You will also find verified ticket prices and seva slabs. And you will learn about the one occasion when this shrine behaves unlike almost every other temple in India.
Independence notice: Temples Map is an independent pilgrim guide. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or the official website of the Sri Kalahasteeswara Swamy Vari Devasthanam. We do not accept bookings, donations, or payments. Please use the official channels linked below for all reservations.
Srikalahasthi Temple Darshan Timings at a Glance
Here is the short version of the Srikalahasthi Temple darshan timings, so you can plan before reading further.
- The temple generally opens between 5:30 AM and 6:00 AM. It closes around 9:00 PM to 9:30 PM.
- Reliable sources report these figures widely. However, the temple publishes no official table, so treat them as approximate.
- Rahu Ketu Sarpadosha Nivarana Pooja runs from 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM daily. The Devasthanam does confirm this window.
- Seeghra Darshanam costs ₹200, Special Entrance costs ₹50, and Antaralaya Darshanam costs ₹500.
- Free darshan remains available, although that queue moves more slowly.
- The temple stays open during solar and lunar eclipses, when nearly every other shrine shuts.
What Are the Srikalahasthi Temple Darshan Timings on a Normal Day?
On an ordinary day the temple opens early, between roughly 5:30 AM and 6:00 AM. It then shuts around 9:00 PM to 9:30 PM. Several sources also describe a midday interval when the sanctum closes briefly.
Because the Devasthanam publishes no fixed grid, treat every specific minute as approximate. That caveat matters more here than at most temples. After the September 2025 lunar eclipse, for instance, officials announced that regular darshan would resume at 6:00 AM. Therefore a 6:00 AM start is the safest planning assumption.
If your trip depends on an exact opening minute, ring the temple office. Alternatively, check the official website on the morning itself. Srikalahasthi Temple darshan timings also shift during Maha Shivaratri, Karthika Masam, and other festival periods.
Why Srikalahasthi Temple Darshan Timings Differ Across Websites
Search this topic and you will find day-by-day tables. They typically claim the temple closes at 9:30 PM on Mondays but 9:00 PM on Tuesdays. We previously carried a table like that ourselves. On review, we could not trace those day-wise variations to any Devasthanam notification, so we removed them.
The pattern is easy to explain. One site invents a plausible-looking weekly grid. Other sites then copy it, because a table looks more authoritative than a range.
Consequently a fabricated detail spreads faster than the honest answer. In reality, the temple publishes seva windows rather than a weekly darshan grid. An approximate range you can trust beats a precise number that is wrong. So if a page gives you minute-level certainty about Srikalahasthi Temple darshan timings for every weekday, ask where that came from.
Darshan Ticket Types, Prices and Entry Queues
The Devasthanam lists three paid entry options alongside free darshan. These prices come from the official Darshanam page. Check them against anything a tout quotes you outside the gate.
| Darshan type | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free darshan | Nil | Longest queue, especially at weekends. |
| Special Entrance | ₹50 | Budget-friendly faster entry. |
| Seeghra Darshanam | ₹200 | Quick darshan queue. |
| Antaralaya Darshanam | ₹500 | Traditional dress required. |
In plain terms, Seeghra Darshanam costs ₹200 per person and Antaralaya Darshanam costs ₹500. The Antaralaya ticket carries a traditional dress condition. So buying it in trousers or a skirt will not help you. The Devasthanam can revise these rates, so confirm before paying.
Rahu Ketu Pooja Timings and Ticket Slabs
Rahu Ketu Sarpadosha Nivarana Pooja is the ritual most pilgrims come for. The Devasthanam confirms that priests perform it daily from 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The temple offers tickets at five price points: ₹500, ₹750, ₹1,500, ₹2,500 and ₹5,000.
Those slabs differ in the scale of the ritual and the seating arrangement. They do not differ in any promised outcome. Devotees traditionally regard the pooja as a remedy for planetary afflictions, and many prefer to perform it during Rahu Kalam. That reflects faith and custom rather than a guaranteed result.
The pooja window shuts at 5:00 PM while the temple stays open later. So an evening arrival will not work if the pooja is your reason for travelling. Aim to reach the counters well before midday.
Seva and Abhishekam Timings You Can Book
Beyond darshan, the temple offers a long list of Pratyaksha Sevas that you attend in person. The Devasthanam publishes current rates for each, and the spread is wide.
| Seva | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Archana at Utsavamurthulu | ₹50 | Simplest offering. |
| Suprabhata Seva | ₹200 | Early morning ritual. |
| Gopuja | ₹200 | Cow worship. |
| Sri Saneeswara Swamy Vari Abhishekam | ₹300 | At the Saneeswara shrine. |
| Sri Guru Dakshinamurthy Swamy Vari Abhishekam | ₹300 | At the Dakshinamurthy shrine. |
| Swarna Pushparchana | ₹1,000 | Golden flower archana. |
| Sri Mrutyunjaya Swamy Vari Abhishekam | ₹1,000 | A traditional devotional vow. |
| Chandi Homam | ₹1,116 | Fire ritual. |
| Rudra Homam | ₹1,116 | Fire ritual. |
| Mahanyasapurvaka Ekadasa Rudrabhishekam | ₹1,500 | Elaborate abhishekam. |
Archana is the cheapest entry point at ₹50. Mahanyasapurvaka Ekadasa Rudrabhishekam sits at the other end at ₹1,500. Book these through the official Andhra Pradesh temples portal, or at the temple counters on arrival. Slot availability varies by day, so book early if you cannot move your dates.
How Eclipse Days Change Srikalahasthi Temple Darshan Timings
This is the shrine’s most distinctive practice. Almost every Hindu temple closes during a solar or lunar eclipse. It then reopens only after purification rituals. Srikalahasti instead stays open and performs Grahana Kala Abhishekam, which priests link to the temple’s standing as a Rahu-Ketu kshetra.
Two corrections matter here, because both errors circulate widely. First, this is not the only temple in India that stays open. During the October 2022 solar eclipse the Kukkuteswara temple at Pithapuram also remained open, as regional press reported.
Second, “open” does not always mean public darshan continues. When the September 2025 lunar eclipse fell near midnight, priests performed the abhishekam in ekantam, privately, without devotees present. Regular darshan resumed at 6:00 AM. So if you are travelling specifically for an eclipse ritual, check the announcement for that particular eclipse before you commit.
Planning Your Visit Around Srikalahasthi Temple Darshan Timings
Choosing the right combination saves more time than any queue trick. Use this rough decision guide alongside the windows listed above.
- Travelling for Rahu Ketu Pooja: arrive by 8:00 AM, since the window shuts at 5:00 PM and batches fill through the day.
- Short stop between Tirupati and Chennai: take Seeghra Darshanam at ₹200 and budget two hours in total.
- Elderly parents or small children: pay for Special Entrance or Seeghra rather than standing in the free queue.
- Weekend or festival visit: add several hours to whatever wait you expect on a weekday.
- Photography or architecture interest: come at opening, because morning light suits the Raja Gopuram and crowds are thinnest.
Early morning remains the most comfortable window overall. Queues build steadily after about 9:00 AM.
How to Reach Srikalahasti
Srikalahasti sits in Tirupati district, Andhra Pradesh, with the pin code 517644. Getting there is straightforward from either Tirupati or Chennai.
By road, the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation runs buses from Tirupati very frequently. They leave roughly every five minutes. Bengaluru to Tirupati takes about five hours, while Chennai to Tirupati takes about three hours.
By train, Srikalahasti has its own station on the Tirupati–Vijayawada broad gauge route, and express trains stop there. Renigunta junction lies 25 km away. By air, Tirupati Airport is 29 km from the town and Chennai Airport is 96 km away.
Dress Code, Rules and What to Leave Behind
Antaralaya Darshanam specifically requires traditional dress. For general darshan, wear modest clothing. Leave footwear outside the temple premises.
The Devasthanam also asks pilgrims not to carry jewellery or cash. It asks them to deposit offerings only in the hundi and to avoid non-biodegradable plastics. Staff encourage silence within the prakarams. Follow the queue rather than pushing forward, since staff manage batches in order.
What First-Time Visitors Get Wrong
Touts operate around the temple approach, and visitor reviews mention them repeatedly. They may offer to arrange faster darshan or pooja slots for a fee. Buy tickets only at the official counters inside the premises, or through the official online portal. Ignore intermediaries entirely.
Another common mistake is assuming you can book every pooja online in advance. Availability differs by seva and by date. So check the official portal rather than trusting an aggregator’s claim. If a page asks you to pay a “processing fee” into a private account, that is not the temple.
Finally, do not plan a same-day Tirumala and Srikalahasti trip too tightly. The two shrines sit about 36 km apart. Even so, combined queues can consume an entire day.
A Note on Health and Comfort
The complex involves a fair amount of standing and walking on stone floors. You will often be barefoot, and often in heat. Carry water and any regular medication with you.
If you are elderly, pregnant, or managing a medical condition, consider a paid darshan queue. Please also speak to your doctor before fasting or attempting a long day on your feet.
Before You Go
Treat the Srikalahasthi Temple darshan timings as a window rather than a promise, because the temple publishes no fixed grid. Plan instead around the fixed points the Devasthanam confirms. Those are the 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM Rahu Ketu Pooja window and the published ticket slabs. Arrive early, buy at official counters, and allow more time than you think you need.
For reservations and current announcements, use the official Sri Kalahasteeswara Swamy Vari Devasthanam website or the Andhra Pradesh temples portal. If you are building a wider itinerary, our guide to temples near Tirupati within 100 km covers the nearby options. The Rahu Ketu Pooja guide and the Sarpa Dosha Pooja page go deeper on those rituals.
Srikalahasthi Temple Darshan Timings: Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Srikalahasthi Temple darshan timings in the morning?
The temple generally opens between 5:30 AM and 6:00 AM. After the September 2025 lunar eclipse, officials confirmed darshan resuming at 6:00 AM. So 6:00 AM is the safer planning assumption. Confirm with the temple office if your schedule is tight.
When do the Srikalahasthi Temple darshan timings end each night?
Closing generally falls between 9:00 PM and 9:30 PM. The Devasthanam publishes no official closing table, so treat this as approximate. Festival days and eclipse days follow separate schedules.
How much does Seeghra Darshanam cost?
Seeghra Darshanam costs ₹200 per person, according to the official Darshanam page. Special Entrance costs ₹50 and Antaralaya Darshanam costs ₹500. Free darshan remains available, though the queue is longer.
What are the Rahu Ketu Pooja timings?
Priests perform the Rahu Ketu Sarpadosha Nivarana Pooja daily from 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Tickets cost ₹500, ₹750, ₹1,500, ₹2,500 or ₹5,000. Because batches fill up, arrive in the morning rather than the afternoon.
Is Srikalahasti Temple really open during an eclipse?
Yes, the temple stays open during solar and lunar eclipses and performs Grahana Kala Abhishekam. However, it is not the only Indian temple to do so. Public participation is also not guaranteed, since priests may conduct the ritual privately at awkward hours.
Can I book darshan and pooja tickets online?
You can book some darshan and seva tickets through the official Andhra Pradesh temples portal. The temple issues others at its counters. Availability varies by seva and date. Always use the official portal, never a third-party booking agent.
Is there a dress code?
Antaralaya Darshanam specifically requires traditional dress. For general darshan, wear modest clothing. Footwear is not permitted inside the temple premises.
How far is Srikalahasti from Tirupati?
Srikalahasti lies roughly 36 km from Tirupati. APSRTC buses run between the two roughly every five minutes. So the connection is easy even without a private vehicle.
How long does darshan take?
Waiting times vary widely by day and season. Weekday mornings are quickest. Weekends, Karthika Masam Mondays, and festival days can stretch to several hours. Budget two to three hours overall if you also plan a pooja.
Do Srikalahasthi Temple darshan timings change during festivals?
Yes. Maha Shivaratri, Karthika Masam and Brahmotsavam periods bring extended hours, special rituals, and much heavier crowds. Check the official website close to your travel date.