Srisailam is one of the Dwadasha (twelve) Jyotirlingas of Bharata Varsha. One of the most prestigious and important places that you can visit while on a trip to Srisailam is the stunning Siva Mallikarjuna Temple. The temple is known and referred to as popularly throughout the country by various names such as Sri Bhramarambha Mallikarjuna Temple, Sri Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple, Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga or simply as Srisailam temple.
Srisailam Temple is located in the picturesque setting of greenery in Nallamala hills. It was constructed on the banks of pristine river in Kurnool district of Telangana state. The temple’s place is very divine, on the top of the Nallamala hills beside the river Krishna. The idol worshiped here is of the deity Lord Mallikarjuna Swamy, Who is considered one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. Locally Lord Shiva is referred to as “Mallikarjuna Swamy” and Shakti Devi was popular as “Bramaramba” The vast compound area of the temple has divisions into two parts. One is for Lord Mallikarjuna, and another is for Goddess Bhramaramba.
The most unique feature of this shrine is existence of both Jyotirlinga and Shakti Peetam parallely in the same place. It also houses one of the Shakti Peethas of Mother Parvati named Sri Bhramarambha Devi. Srisailam is situated in Andhra Pradesh, which is about 200 kms from Hyderabad. The temple is surrounded by the lush green dense forests in the Nallamalla forest creating a picturesque view of it and the devotional environment makes a conducive atmosphere to surcharge a devotee’s devotion to Lord Shiva.
Srisailam Temple
Significance of Srisailam Temple
The Jyotirlinga inside the temple symbolizes holiness because people worship it as Swayambhu. According to legend, one of Sati’s limbs fell at this location when her body was dissect. Lord Rama is said to have initiated the Sahasralinga within the temple. The Linga is divided into 25 facets, corresponding to 40 Lingas. Additionally, it is a broad belief that the Pandavas placed Pancha Pandava Lingas in the temple, each bearing the names of Sadyojatha, Aghora, Vamadeva, Tatpurush, and Eesana. It is situated on a hilltop name Srigiri or Sirithan. This temple is so important of Shaivite sect of Hindus.
Twelve Jyothirlinga’s in India
- Uttarakhand – Kedarnath Temple ( Garhwal Himalayas )
- Uttar Pradesh – Kashi Vishwanath Temple( Varanasi )
- Jharkhand – Vaidyanath Temple ( Deogarh )
- Madhya Pradesh – Mahakaleshwar Temple( Ujjain )
- Madhya Pradesh – Omkareshwar Temple
- Gujarat – Somnath Temple ( Vevarai )
- Gujarath – Nageshwar Temple (Dwarka)
- Maharashtra – Trimbakeshwar Temple ( Nashik )
- Maharashtra – Bhimashankar Temple (Pune )
- Maharashtra – Grishneshwar Temple (Aurangabad)
- Telangana – Srisailam Temple ( Kurnool )
- Tamil Nadu – Rameswaram Temple (Madurai)
History of Srisailam Temple
Legend of Jyotirlinga
A popular legend with regard to history of this temple was “ Rani Chandravati ” story. Chandravathi was daughter of local king named Chandragupta, who ruled Chandragupta patanam on the banks of pristine river Krishna. She was an ardent devotee of Shiva. She used to spend days and nights with chantings and by offering poojas to Lord Shiva. Finally on one day Shiva appeared in here dream, he told her to follow a bee and stay wherever it rests. Chandravathi within no time and second thoughts wake up from sleep, and followed the bee. They stopped at a place called Srisailam. After a few days she saw a cow offering milk to a black stone. She got stunned by seeing that incident and went near to that to stone. To her surprise it was the manifestation of Lord Shiva in the form of Shiva Linga. On the orders of Lord Shiva she constructed a temple over there, which is today’s Srisailam temple.
Legend of Bramaramba
According to some sources the idol of Shakti Devi was situated here in the following way. Shakti Devi took the form of a bee to slay a demon named Arunasura. After successfully performing her duties, she settled on the hill of Srisailam as Bhramaramba Devi.
The neck part of Shakti Devi was said to have fallen here, therefore it is regarded as on of the Shakti Peeth in India.
Significance of the Mallikarjuna Temple!
Every year hundreds of thousands of pilgrims visit Mallikarjuna temple as it considered to grant you prosperity instantly and make your sorrows disappear. Praying to the jyotirlinga inside the temple is considered as effective as performing an Ashwamedha Yagya, which was performed by kings in the ancient times.
It is believed that the temple in it’s current architecture with the famous Gopuram dome was constructed by Chalukya kings. This temple holds special significance for Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims.
Srisailam Temple Timings
Temple is open to devotees round the year. Monday is considered to be the most auspicious day for visiting this sanctum. Usually pilgrims are allowed to see god during following hours – 6:30 A.M to 11:00 P.M , 1:00 P.M to 3:30 P.M ( Alankara darshan ) , finally from 6:00 P.M to 6:30 P.M.
During rest of the hours in day various sevas were performed to Lord Shiva. In order to take part in sevas like Saswatha Seva, Srisaila Prabha, one need to book tickets in prior using Srisailam official website.
Online Booking for Abhishekam
Devotees can now avail the services of booking Abhishekam slots on Srisailam temple official website. Abhishekam timings are from 6’o clock in the morning to 1:30 P.M. The cost is nearly 500 INR for Garbhagudi Abhishekam, Abhishekam cost at mandapam costs 100 INR.
Online Accommodation Bookings
For the convenience and comfort of pilgrims, Srisailam Devasthanam is allowing users to book rooms over internet by using their official website. Both A.C and Non A.C rooms were available with rents ranging from 4000 to 100 Rs. All devasthanams the cottages were located on mountain only.
Nearby Visiting Places
Srisailam, a hill town in Kurnool district of Telangana is home to the holy Malikarjuna Jyotirlinga and also as one of the eighteen Shakti Peethas of goddess Parvati. Situated on the banks of river Krishna, Srisailam is identified with a wildlife sanctuary and a dam.
You could seek the blessings of the almighty by visiting the many majestic temples in the city such as the one dedicated to Lord Shiva (it is renowned as Sikhareswara Swamy temple) or the famous Bhramaramba Mallikarjunaswamy Temple which is located at a height of around 457m from sea level. The Nallamala forest ranges with multifarious flora and fauna lie in close proximity to the Srisailam hills.
After completing darshanam at this holy temple, there are a lot of scenic beauties around this area that you can visit. The following are some of the tourist attractions in the region Srisailam Dam, Srisailam Tiger reserve, Srihikaresava Temple, Patala Ganga, Akkamahadevi Caves, Lingallu Gattu, Hemareddy Mallamma Temple , Hathakesvara Temple.
