About Nagari Temple

Nagari is in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, on the Tamil Nadu border.  Chennai-Tirupati bus services, via the other great temple town of Tiruttani, pass through Nagari.

Sri Kariya Manikyaswami temple is said to be the place where Lord Vishnu  saved His devotee, Gajendra, the elephant, from the Jaws of a crocodile, an episode which occurs in the Bhagavatam.  According to the great scripture, abandoned by his fellow members, and, faced with certain death, he realises at the late hour that he has wasted his life going after superficial pleasures, and in the service of his family.  He then turns to Narayana, the Protector of the Universe, and pleads for help.  Narayana, that is, Vishnu, hears Gajendra's cry of surrender and slices the crocodile's neck with His Chakrayudha (discus).  This story is as much about Gajendra, as it about us, ordinary folks, who waste our entire lives doing what Gajendra did before the crocodile intervened in the form of fate.

The Nagari temple is quite small, with a modest tower of three tiers.  It is an ancient temple, only about ten minutes walk from the highway.  The shrine was renovated recently, and is maintained by the TTD.

How to reach Nagari

Nagari is 51km from Tirupati, on the Andhra side.  From Chennai (79km), it is on the Tiruttani route, and can be accessed in 90 minutes.