Rahu Ketu Pooja timings at Srikalahasti run from 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM every day, and tickets begin at ₹500. That 5 PM cut-off matters, because dozens of travel pages still print 6 PM or even 8:30 PM. Pilgrims who turn up at half past five simply miss the last batch of the day.
So this guide sticks to what the Sri Kalahastheeswara Swamy Vari Devasthanam itself publishes: the real schedule, the full tariff ladder, and the two legitimate booking routes.
Rahu Ketu Pooja Timings at a Glance
| Detail | Official position |
|---|---|
| Pooja hours | 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM, every day |
| Ticket tiers | ₹500 / ₹750 / ₹1,500 / ₹2,500 / ₹5,000 |
| Booking routes | aptemples.org portal, or the temple seva counter |
| Official name | Rahu Kethu Sarpadosha Nivaarana Puja |
| Presiding deity | Sri Kalahasteeswara Swamy, worshipped as the Vayu Lingam |
Temples Map is an independent pilgrim guide. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or the official website of the Sri Kalahastheeswara Swamy Vari Devasthanam. We take no bookings, fees, or donations of any kind. Every ticket must be bought on the official portal or at the temple counter.
What the Rahu Ketu Pooja at Srikalahasti Actually Is
The Devasthanam lists this ritual under its formal name, Rahu Kethu Sarpadosha Nivaarana Puja. In Vedic tradition, Rahu and Ketu are the two lunar nodes. Astrologers describe an unfavourable placement between them as Kala Sarpa Dosha. Devotees perform the pooja seeking relief from that placement.
These are matters of faith and long-standing tradition rather than guaranteed outcomes. No temple ritual replaces medical, legal, or financial advice, so treat any page promising fixed results with caution.
Srikalahasti holds a particular place here because the shrine is one of the Pancha Bhoota Sthalams, representing air. Since Shiva is worshipped here as Vayu, the site is also called Rahu-Ketu Kshetra and Dakshina Kailasam. That association is why the ritual is so strongly identified with this one temple.
Official Rahu Ketu Pooja Timings, Hour by Hour
The temple conducts the ritual daily from 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The Devasthanam publishes that window on its own services page, alongside the ticket tiers. Batches run through the day, so there is no single fixed start time you must hit.
Why the 5 PM cut-off catches people out
The temple itself stays open well past five, which is exactly where the confusion begins. Because darshan continues into the evening, pilgrims assume the pooja does too. It does not. If you are travelling from Tirupati after lunch, you are cutting it fine.
Rahu Ketu Pooja timings end well before the temple gates do, so build in a buffer. Aim to reach the seva counter before 3:00 PM on a normal weekday. On Amavasya, Sundays, and Tuesdays, treat noon as your deadline instead, since demand climbs sharply.
How Rahu Ketu Pooja Timings Differ from Darshan Hours
This distinction is the single most useful thing on the page, and no official source spells it out. The pooja stops at 5:00 PM. Temple darshan, however, carries on considerably later into the evening.
So an evening arrival still gets you darshan, but not the ritual. Because the two schedules diverge, plan the pooja for the first half of your day. Then keep the evening for darshan, the prakaram, and the Kannappa shrine.
Pilgrims arriving on a late-afternoon train from Chennai or Vijayawada should therefore budget an overnight stay. Otherwise the pooja slips to the next morning.
Srikalahasti Pooja Ticket Price List
The Devasthanam lists five price tiers for this seva: ₹500, ₹750, ₹1,500, ₹2,500 and ₹5,000. Those five figures come straight from the temple’s own Pratyaksha Seva page. Anything quoting ₹150 or ₹300 as a starting price is working from an old tariff.
| Ticket tier | Practical read |
|---|---|
| ₹500 | Entry tier, heaviest demand, longest wait |
| ₹750 | Common choice for couples |
| ₹1,500 | Mid tier, thinner queues at peak hours |
| ₹2,500 | Upper tier |
| ₹5,000 | Top tier |
One honest caveat belongs here. While the Devasthanam publishes the five prices, it does not publish a feature-by-feature breakdown of what separates them. So ask at the counter what your tier includes before you pay, especially regarding seating and pooja materials.
The Devasthanam revises tariffs from time to time. So confirm the current amount on the official portal on the morning of your visit.
How to Book Within the Rahu Ketu Pooja Timings
Two routes are legitimate, and the temple administration runs both. Since both operate inside the same Rahu Ketu Pooja timings window, the choice is about convenience. Everything else is a middleman.
Route 1: the official online portal
Andhra Pradesh moved its temple bookings onto a single Endowments platform, aptemples.org. The Devasthanam links this seva to that portal directly. Create a devotee login, select Srikalahasti, then choose Pratyaksha Seva and the tier you want.
This is a genuine change worth noting, because older guides insist online booking does not exist for this pooja. It does, through the official platform.
Route 2: the temple seva counter
Counter tickets remain the most common route, and same-day issue is normal outside peak dates. Reach the counter early, pick your tier, pay, and keep the receipt safe. You will need it at the mandapam entrance.
Since availability at the counter genuinely varies by day, arriving early is the only reliable strategy. On Amavasya and eclipse days, expect the entry tiers to clear first.
Ignore anyone selling you a shortcut
Brokers work the approach roads around this temple, and reviews mention them constantly. No agent, no WhatsApp number, and no third-party site can get you a faster slot than the counter or the portal. The Devasthanam publishes a cautionary notice about exactly this. If a page asks for payment and is not aptemples.org or the temple itself, walk away.
Best Days and the Rahu Kalam Question
Rahu Kalam is a roughly ninety-minute window that falls at a different hour each weekday. Many devotees prefer to sit for the ritual during it, and Sundays and Tuesdays draw the heaviest crowds for that reason.
Here is the practical tension nobody flags. Because Rahu Kalam moves daily, the best slot on a Saturday falls in the early morning, while on a Wednesday it lands closer to midday. So if you are pairing this with Tirumala darshan, check the day’s Rahu Kalam before locking your travel plan, not after.
Amavasya days and eclipse days carry special significance here, and the temple is unusual in conducting poojas during eclipses. Those are also the days when queues are longest.
What Happens During the Pooja: Step by Step
- Buy your ticket at the seva counter, or carry the e-ticket from the official portal.
- Collect the pooja kit against your receipt at the mandapam entrance.
- Take your seat in the hall allotted to your ticket tier.
- During sankalpam, the priest recites your name, gotra and birth star.
- Follow the chanting and the ritual steps as the priest directs them.
- After the pooja, offer the Naga Padi idols as instructed inside the temple.
- Proceed for darshan of Sri Kalahasteeswara Swamy, then collect prasadam.
The whole sitting usually takes forty-five minutes to an hour. Add queue time on top, which is the part most first-timers underestimate.
Dress Code, Darshan Tiers, and What to Carry
Traditional dress is the norm for the pooja. Men generally wear a dhoti, while women wear a saree or salwar kameez. The Devasthanam also restricts Antaralaya Darshanam to devotees in traditional attire.
Darshan itself has its own tiers: Special Entrance at ₹50, Seeghra Darsanam at ₹200, and Antaralaya Darshanam at ₹500. Free darshan is available too, though the queue is naturally slower.
Carry your photo ID, the ticket receipt, and drinking water. Phones usually go into the locker counter before you enter the pooja hall, so plan for that.
A note on comfort and health
Srikalahasti gets genuinely hot from March through June, and the queue areas are only partly shaded. Elderly pilgrims, pregnant women, and anyone with a heart or blood-pressure condition should pick an early-morning slot and carry medication. If you intend to fast before the ritual, speak to your doctor first.
How to Reach Srikalahasti
The temple sits about 36 km from Tirupati, which makes it an easy half-day addition to a Tirumala trip. Buses run frequently from Tirupati bus stand throughout the day.
Srikalahasti has its own railway station on the Tirupati–Vijayawada line, roughly 3 km from the temple. Tirupati Airport is the nearest airport, around 25 km away. If you are mapping out a wider circuit, our roundup of temples near Tirupati within 100 km covers the other stops worth adding.
Myths About Rahu Ketu Pooja Timings and Prices
Several claims about Rahu Ketu Pooja timings and tariffs repeat across search results, and most are simply out of date.
- “The ritual runs until 8:30 PM.” The Devasthanam publishes 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
- “Online booking is not available.” It is, via the official aptemples.org portal.
- “Tickets start at ₹150.” The current entry tier is ₹500.
- “The main deity is Vayu Lingeshwara Swamy.” The deity is Sri Kalahasteeswara Swamy, and the lingam is the Vayu Lingam.
- “You must book a day in advance.” Same-day counter tickets are standard outside peak dates.
That last one deserves a caveat. While same-day tickets are normal, Amavasya and eclipse dates behave differently, so plan ahead for those.
What First-Time Pilgrims Get Wrong
Three mistakes account for most wasted trips here.
First, people budget for the ticket but not the queue. A ₹500 slot on a Tuesday can mean a long wait, whereas a weekday morning at a mid tier moves faster. Second, they arrive after lunch and lose the 5 PM window. Third, they treat Srikalahasti as a quick stop between Tirupati trains and end up rushing the sankalpam.
Give the temple half a day. If you are also considering the related sarpa dosha ritual, our guide to the Srikalahasti Sarpa Dosha Pooja explains how the two overlap.
Before You Go
Rahu Ketu Pooja timings are the one detail worth double-checking before you travel, because everything else follows from them. The ritual runs 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM, tickets start at ₹500, and only two booking channels are real. Reach the counter well before mid-afternoon, or book ahead on the official portal.
Verify the tariff on the Devasthanam’s Pratyaksha Seva page before you travel, since the Devasthanam revises prices periodically. Then book through the official AP Endowments portal or at the counter. Planning a wider Andhra circuit? Our Kanipakam temple timings guide pairs well with this trip.
Rahu Ketu Pooja Timings FAQs
What are the Rahu Ketu Pooja timings at Srikalahasti?
The Sri Kalahastheeswara Swamy Vari Devasthanam conducts this ritual daily from 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Batches run through the day, so there is no single fixed start. Reach the seva counter well before the cut-off, because the temple stops issuing pooja tickets earlier than it closes.
Do Rahu Ketu Pooja timings change on festival days?
The published window stays the same, though queues lengthen sharply on Amavasya, eclipse days, Sundays and Tuesdays. Since entry-tier tickets clear fastest on those dates, arrive early. Check the official portal before travelling for any special-day notice.
How much does the pooja cost?
The Devasthanam lists five tiers: ₹500, ₹750, ₹1,500, ₹2,500 and ₹5,000. Older pages quoting ₹150 or ₹300 rely on an obsolete tariff. Since tariffs change, confirm the current figure on the official portal before you travel.
Can I book online?
Yes. The seva appears under Pratyaksha Seva on the official Andhra Pradesh Endowments portal, aptemples.org. Create a devotee login, select the temple, then pick your tier. Counter tickets remain available too, and many pilgrims still prefer that route.
Which days are considered best?
Sundays and Tuesdays draw the largest crowds, and many devotees prefer to sit during Rahu Kalam. Amavasya and eclipse days carry particular significance at this temple. These preferences rest on tradition and belief rather than any guaranteed result.
How long does the ritual take?
The pooja itself generally runs forty-five minutes to an hour. Queue time is separate and varies widely with the day and your ticket tier. Budget half a day at the temple to be safe.
What should I wear?
Devotees wear traditional dress for the ritual: dhoti for men, saree or salwar kameez for women. Antaralaya Darshanam admits only devotees in traditional attire. Leather items are best left outside the temple.
Can someone perform it on behalf of an absent family member?
Yes, this is common practice. Inform the priest during sankalpam and provide the person’s name, gotra and birth star. Confirm the arrangement at the counter when you buy the ticket.
Is there a difference between Rahu Ketu Pooja and Sarpa Dosha Pooja here?
The Devasthanam’s formal name for the ritual is Rahu Kethu Sarpadosha Nivaarana Puja, so the two names describe the same seva. Local usage varies, which is why the terms appear separately online. Ask at the counter if you are unsure which ticket you are buying.
Are agents or third-party sites safe to book through?
No. Only the temple counter and the official aptemples.org portal issue genuine tickets. The Devasthanam publishes a cautionary notice warning devotees about unauthorised intermediaries. If a site asks for payment and is not the official portal, avoid it.