KALASA HAS HISTORY DATING BACK TO TIMES OF PURANAS.
REFERENCE IS MADE ABOUT THIS PLACE IN SKANDA PURANAS.
SKANDA DWAYA ( THE TWIN DEVAS )WERE FROM THIS PLACE
ONE INTERESTING FEATURE OF THIS PLACE IS THAT IT WAS THE SHELTER FOR 2 GREAT RHISHIS SAGE AGASTYA SAGE VASISHTA

A PLACE NEAR KALASA IS NAMED VASISHTASHRAMA, AS IT IS BELIEVED TO BE ASHRAMA OF VASISHTA.


AGASTYA'S STORY AGASTYA IS CALLED KUMBHAJA ( BORN IN KUMBHA OR POT ). THIS ALSO UPHOLDS THE THEORY OF KALASA BEING THE BIRTH PLACE OF AGASTYA. KUMBHA = KALASHA = POT ONCE AGASTYA RISHI WAS ON HIS WAY TO KASHI TO PARTICIPATE IN SHIVA'S MARRIAGE CEREMONY. A RITUAL TAKING PLACE IN KASHI ONCE FOR EVERY 12 YEARS. WHILE HE WAS RETURNING FROM KASHI; VINDHYA, OUT OF HIS PRIDE OF BEING NEXT TO HIMALAYAS IN HEIGHT; CHALLENGED THE SAGE TO CROSS HIM. IN THOSE DAYS, VINDHYA PARVATHA WAS INCREASING IN HEIGHT, SO SAGE CURSED HIM THAT ,UNTIL SAGE CROSSES THE MOUNTAIN AGAIN NEXT TIME, VINDHYA CAN'T INCREASE IN HEIGHT. SAGE KNEW THAT HE WILL BE GOING TO KASHI ONLY AFTER 12 YEARS; FOR SHIVA'S MARRIAGE CEREMONY. SOMEHOW SAGE WAS NOT SATISFIED WITH HIS CURSE. SAGE WANTED VINDHYA TO BE SHORT FOREVER, SO THAT THERE WILL BE MORE INTERACTION BETWEEN NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN PART OF BHARTAVARSHA ( INDIA ). THIS MADE SAGE TO REMAIN IN SOUTH INDIA , SO SAGE ASKED GOD TO HELP HIM. SHIVA THEN DECLARED THAT HE WOULD STAY AT HIS ASHRAM ( KALASA ) SO THAT SAGE COULD SEE HIS MARRIAGE CEREMONY EVERY YEAR. EVEN NOW GIRIJA KALYANA IS PERFORMED AS A RITUAL. FOR MORE GO TO EVENTS PAGE VASISHTA'S STORY VASISHTA IS BELIED TO HAVE AN ASHRAMA HERE. A PLACE CALLED VASHISHTASHRAMA IS IN KALASA WHICH IS NEARBY THE RIVER BHADRA. FOR FURTHER DETAILS OF POSITION GOTO MAP THE PLACE KALASA, IS ALSO MENTIONED IN SKANDA PURANAS. SKANDA DWAYAS TOOK SHELTER IN THIS PLACE.
LATER DURING MYSORE AND TIPPU'S RULE, THE PLACE WAS THE CAPITAL OF LOCAL SAMANTHA RAJA. THE KALASHESHWARA TEMPLE WAS RENOVATED UNDER THESE RULERS.