Srisailam
Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple, in Srisailam, is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva situated here. Srisailam, also called Srigiri, is located in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh state, on the banks of Krishna River about 210 km south of Hyderabad. The temple is also one of the 18 Maha Sakti Peethas. The legend behind the sakti peethas is that these were the places where Sati Devi’s corpse fell during Daksha Yagna episode.It was the Neck portion of the corpse of Sati Devi wich fell at this place and that is where the goddess manifested as Sri Bhramaramba Devi.
Srisailam played a dominant role in our religious, cultural and social history from ancient times. According to pre-historic studies the habitational history of Srisailam goes back to about 30,000-40,000 years. Stone tools of that period are abundantly found at various places of Srisailam. The epigraphical evidences reveal that the history of Srisailam begins with the Satavahanas who were the first empire builders in South India.
Devotees, Local Kings and Rulers from across the country from across dynasties, visiting srisailam have contributed in building Srisailam Temple and facilities for the visiting pilgrims. Sri Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple located in Srisailam is one of the 12 Jyotirlinga temples dedicated to Lord Shiva. Earlier, it was called Srigiri. The Bhramarambha Temple is also located in the same complex. It is considered as one of the eighteen Shakti Peethas in India. Bhramarambha is a very ferocious deity. Originally she was worshipped by the Chenchu people. However, during British rule, the temple was taken over by the Pushpagiri peethamGateways
Legends, Traditional literature as well as epigraphical sources state that the sacred hill of Srisailam has four gateways in the four cardinal directions namely,Tripuranthakam
Tripuranthakam is in Prakasam District in the east where God Tripurantakeshwara Swamy and Goddess Tripurasundari Devi are presiding deities.
Siddhavatam
Siddhavatam is located on the bank of the river Penna in Kadapa District in the south where Jyothisideswara Swamy and Goddess Kamakshi Devi are the presiding deities.
Alampur
The Western Gateway of Srisailam, Alampur is the meeting point of the sacred rivers Tungabhadra and Krishna and is referred to as Dakshina Kashi (also known as Navabrahmeshwara Theertha) and is in Mahaboobnagar District. Tere are Nava Brahmeshwara Temples, a group of nine temples of the Chalukya period, dedicated to Sri Brahmeshwara Swami. This Kshetram is also the seat of Goddess Jogulamba, one of the eighteen Maha Sakti Peethas.
Umamaheswaram
Northern gateway, Umamaheswaram is located in Rangapur, Mahaboobnagar District and here Umamaheswara Swamy and Goddess Umamaheswari Devi are the presiding deities.
Secondary Gateways
Besides the main gateways, there are four Secondary Gateways in the four corners.Eleswaram
Eleswaram is Located in Mahaboobnagar District and now submerged in the Nagarjuna Sagar Dam in the northeast with Eleswara Swamy and Katyani as presiding deities.Somasila
Somasila is Located on the bank of the river Penna in the southeast with Skanda Someshwara as the presiding deity.Pushpagiri
Pushpagiri is Located in Kadapa District in the southwest with Santana Malleshwara Swamy as presiding deity.It is located on the banks of the Pinakini River.
Sangameswaram
Sangameswaram is Located at the confluence of the River Krishna and Tungabhadra in Kurnool District in the northwest and submerged at Srisailam Dam with Sangameswara as presiding deity. This temple has been re-built at Alampur.
How to Reach
Srisailam is about 210 km from Hyderabad, the capital of Telangana State, and 262 km from Capital of Andhra Pradesh, Vijayawada. There are buses connecting the town with Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Guntur and Kurnool.
Nerest Bus station: Srisailam.
Nearest Railway stations: Markapur road, Ongole, Nandyala.
Nearest Air ports: Tirupati, Vijayawada.