I dislike feeling at home when I am abroad.- George Bernard Shaw
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| Srisailam temple |
Srisailam is a pilgrimage town situated in Nallamala hills of Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh. The River Krishna carves a deep gorge through the woods of the Nallamala hills, and leaves in its wake a lush forest that is home to India's largest tiger reserve. Srisailam is known for many ancient temples, a wildlife sanctuary and a dam. This celebrated mountain is also named as Siddhi kshetra, Siridhan, Srigiri, Sirigiri, Sriparvatha and Srinagam.
The presiding deities of this kshetram lord Mallikarjuna Swamy (a form of Shiva) is one of the 12 Jyothirlingas and goddess Bhramaramba devi (a form of Parvathi) is one of the 18 Mahasakthis and both are self-manifested. The unique feature of this kshetram is the combination of Jyothirlingam and Mahasakthi in one campus, which is very rare and only one of its kind.
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| Lord shiva in the form of Dakshina murthy, with Vedas and veena in his hands. He is controlling Ahamkara purusha. Rishis learning gnana from him. |
The Mallikarjuna Linga is accessible to each and every devotee and anybody can go into the sanctum sanctorum of Mallikarjuna, touch him and perform abhishekam and archana himself to recitataon of mantras by archakas without caste or creed or religion. This clearly reveals that socialistic pattern of society started from this place and it is still in existence.
ETYMOLOGY:
The origins of this temple have been lost in antiquity. The Skanda Purana has a chapter called Srisaila Kandam dedicated to it, which points to the ancient origin. This is confirmed by the fact that saints of the past millennia have sung its praises. It is said that Adi Sankara visited this temple and at that time he composed his Sivanandalahiri.
Srisailam is also referenced in the ancient Hindu Puranas, and the epic Mahabharata.
Shiva's sacred bull Nandi is said to have performed penance at the Mahakali temple till Shiva and Parvati appeared before him as Mallikarjuna and Brahmaramba. The temple is one of the 12 hallowed jyotirlingas; Lord Rama himself installed the Sahasralinga, while the Pandavas lodged the Panchapandava lingas in the temple courtyard.
Heroic legends from the Mahabharata and Ramayana are sculpted in stone on the temple walls and the Mahabharata epic refers to Srisailam as Sri Parvata - the blessed hill. You can hear the buzzing of a bee through a tiny hole in the Brahmaramba temple, where goddess Parvati, in the form of a bee, slew the demon Mahisasura.
It gained prominence in the twelth century due to the Sharana movement and Vachana Sahitya headed by Basavanna. According to legends one of the Srisailam caves is said to be the place where the most famous poet and social reformer Akka Mahadevi achieved salvation.
HISTORY:
The epigraphical evidence reveals that the history of Srisailam begins with the Sathavahanas who were the first empire builders in South India. The earliest known historical mention of the Hill - Srisailam, can be traced in Pulumavis Nasik inscription of 1st Century A.D.
The Sathavahanas, the Ikshavakus, the Pallavas, the Vishnukundis, the Chalukyas, the Kakatiyas, the Reddy Kings, the Vijayanagara emperors and Chatrapathi Shivaji are among the famous emperors who worshipped lord Mallikarjuna Swamy.
Prataparudra of Kakatiya Dynasty strived a lot for the improvements of this Kshetram and granted Paraganas for its maintenance. Ganapathideva has spent 12000 Golden Nanyas for the maintenance of the temple.
The period of Reddy Kings is the Golden age of Srisailam that almost all rulers of the dynasty did celebrated service for this temple. In 14th Century Prolaya Vema Reddy of Reddy dynasty constructed stepped path way to Srisailam and Pathalaganga (here the river Krishna is called as Pathalaganga) and Anavema Reddy constructed Veera Siromandapam in which the Veerasaiva devotees cut off their hands, tongue, limbs with devotion to attain the realisation of the God. This practice is known as Veeracharam.
The Second Harihararaya of Vijayanagara empire constructed the Mukhamantapam of Swamy shrine and also a Gopuram on Southern side of the temple.
In the 15th Century Sri Krishnadevaraya constructed the Rajagopuram on eastern side and salumantapas on both sides of the temple.
The last Hindu King who strove hard for the improvement of the temple is Chatrapathi Shivaji who constructed a Gopuram on northern side in the year 1667 A.D.
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| In the entrance of srisailam, there is a statue of Veerabhadra swamy |
GATEWAYS:
Tradition, literature as well as epigraphical sources state that the sacred hill of Srisailam has four gateways in the four cardinal directions namely,
- Tripuranthakam: It is located in Prakasam district in the east where god Tripuranthakeswara swamy and goddess Tripurasundari devi are presiding deities.
- Siddhavatam: It 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: It is located on the bank of the river Tungabhadra in Mahaboobnagar district in the west where Navabrahma Alayas, a group of nine temples of the Chalukya period, are. This Kshetram is also the seat of goddess Jogulamba, one of the eighteen Mahasakthis.
- Umamaheswaram: It is located in Rangapur, Achampeta Mandal, Mahaboobnagar district in the north where god Umamaheswara swamy and goddess Umamaheswari gevi are the presiding deities.
Besides the main gateways, there are four secondary gateways in the four corner directions are also popularly known secondary gateways (upa dwaras). They are:
- Eleswaram: It is located in Mahaboobnagar district now submerged in the Nagarjuna Sagar dam in the northeast with Eleswara swamy and Katyani as presiding deities.
- Somasila: It located on the bank of the river Penna in the southeast with Skanda Someswara as the presiding deity.
- Pushpagiri: It located in Kadapa district in the southwest with Santhana Malleswara as presiding deity.
- Sangameswaram: It 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.
VISITING PLACES:
Srisailam is most visited for its wildlife sanctuaries and temples. The pilgrimage town of Srisailam is also a famous forest sanctuary which is home to India’s largest tiger reserve. Srisailam Wildlife Sanctuary, which spreads to the five adjoining states, is the natural habitat of diverse species of flora and fauna. Tigers, panthers, spotted deer, giant squirrels, pangolins, crocodiles, civets and different species of snakes are spotted here. The lush and dense Nallamalai forest ranges is a popular destination for trekking, hill climbing, forest exploration and research, to which Srisailam town acts as a base camp.
Pilgrimage to Mallikarjuna swamy temple normally includes visiting some important places near Sri sailam.
Bayalu Veerabhadra swamy:
Bayalu Veerabhadra is the kshetrapalaka of Srisailam.There is no temple for him. He has no roof above him. Hence he is called as Bayalu veerabhadra swamy. He protects people in Srisailam.
Sikharam:
Sikharam is spiritually the most important of all sightseeing places in Srisailam. It is the peak of the Srisailam Mountain. The Sikharam is located 8 k.m. from the main temple.
Skanda purana tells that one can attain Mukti by just seeing Sikharam. There is also a temple of Shiva built here. There is a view point to see the Mallikarjuna swamy temple Sikhara from here.
Many people think that seeing the Alaya sikhara from here is Sikhara darsana. But seeing Sikhara itself is Sikhara darsana.
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| Sakshi Ganapati temple |
Sakshi Ganapati alayam:
A must see place at Srisailam. It is a temple of Lord Ganapati present beside the main road before arriving to Srisailam. The temple is small and old. It is believed that he records the names of pilgrims who come to Srisailam and shows the list to Lord Shiva so that they will be blessed. All the pilgrims who come to Srisailam will visit him and pray to enter their names in the list.
The temple is 3 km from the main temple. The temple of Sakshi Ganapati comes after Hatakeswaram.
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| Hatakeswaralayam |
Hatakeswaram:
Hatakeswaram is a very small village present at a distance of 4 k.m from Srisailam. It includes a temple of Lord Shiva by name Hatakeswara. A form of Lord Shiva present in Vithala, one of the Under-ground worlds described in spiritual texts.
Once upon a time there lived a potter. He is a great devotee of Lord shiva. He daily gives food to pilgrims. One day Lord shiva tested him, He went to potters home. But at that time there is no food in his house. So, he felt very sad and prayed Lord shiva. Lord shiva appaerd him in a pot, hence the name Atikeswaram / Hatakeswaram.
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| Phaladhara - Panchadhara |
Phaladhara - Panchadhara:
Phala dhara - Pancha dhara are two torrents present side by side near Hatakeswara. This is a very beautiful location. It is located at a distance of 4 k.m. from Srisailam. Adi Shankaracharya performed Tapasya and wrote the famous Sivananda lahari here.
Bhimuni kolanu:
This is a pond present in the Srisailam forest. You can reach this by travelling 8 k.m in a muddy road opposite to Phaladhara-Panchadhara. It is a very beautiful place. The water of this pond is believed to be having medicinal properties.
People belive that when Pandavas came to Srisailam, Droupadi gets thirsty, but there is no water to drink. Then Bhima gets irritation and hits the hill with his Gada, Water came out with this stroke. Hence the name Bhimuni kolanu.
Pancha mathalu:
Earlier there were hundreds of mathas in Srisailam which involved in different services like spreading spiritualism, maintaining temples, establishing educational institutions and hospitals etc. Gradually these mathas disappeared and now we have only few to list.
The list of Pancha mathas...
Ghanta matham:
Its known that Ghanta karna Shivacharya, the guru of Veda Vyasa maharshi, lived here for some time. We can find his idol in this matham. The famous Ghanta siddheswaralaya is also situated near by this matham.
Vibhuti matham:
Mantra bhasma which is placed on the Paashupata yantra that is carved on a stone was distributed to the pilgrims.
Rudraksha matham:
Malla shankara shiva yogi lived here. This matham was known for distributing Rudrakshas to the pilgrims.
Saranga matham:
The great Yogi Sarangaeswara established this matham. Jaatavedi maharshis, the gurus of the great Basaveswara also belong to this matham. This is active in the present days also.
Nandi matham:
Vata sidheshwara Shiva yogi lived here.
Bhima sankara matham:
A temple of Bhima sankara is present in this matham.
Virabhadra matham:
A temple of Virabhadra is present in this matham.
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| Shivaji dhyana mandiram |
Shivaji dhyana mandiram:
It is believed that Chatrapati Shivaji got his sword of victory by worshiping the Goddess Bramaramba. A beautiful building constructed in his memory.
Akka mahadevi caves:
Akka mahadevi caves is one of the must see place in Srisailam. A great devotee of Lord Mallikarjuna swamy, named Akka mahadevi did tapsya here. She came from Karnataka state. These caves are about 16 kms away from Srisailam. We have to go in boat to reach here. A.P tourism is maintaining boat services to see this place. These caves are formed naturally about one lack years ago.
The journey to Akka mahadevi caves is very joyful and we will see beauty of Krishna river and Nallamala forest in this journey. After reaching the caves we have to go for about 50 to 60 feet in to the caves with candle lighting. After that we will see a small Shiva linga in that cave. There are 2 to 3 caves here.
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| Srisailam Dam |
Srisailam Dam:
Major tourist attraction near Srisailam is Srisailam Dam. It is constructed across Krishna river. It is 791 metres height and 512 meters long with 12 radial crest gates. This is the main source of water to Karnool and Kadapa districts. There are view points in the right and left sides of this Dam.
Patala ganga:
The river Krishna in Srisailam is called Patala ganga. Pilgrims will take holy bath in it.
Maisigandi Maisamma:
Maisigandi is a small village in the Srisailam highway. The temple of Maisamma (Local name for Godess Mahakali) comes before Maisigandi village. It is a must see temple, resembles the cultural and mythological feelings of local people. The idol of Maisamma is very big in size.
Uma maheswaram:
According to Upa Skanda Purana, Uma maheswaram is the Northern entrance of Srisailam. You have to travel 12 k.m off the highway to reach this place. The forest around this has a lot of Natural beauty. A temple of Lord Shiva is present here. Umamaheswaram is a tourist attraction.
Munnanur bird Sanctuary:
Munnanur forest Check-post comes in the main route. No vehicles are allowed between 9.00 P.M and 6.00 A.M to travel in this route. So it is better to plan your travel accordingly. There is a Bird Sanctuary at Munnanur, maintaining all verities of birds which live in Nallamala forests of Srisailam.
ITDA museum:
It is present in Sunnipenta, a village near Srisailam. It has information on the animals living in Srisailam forest.
Tribal museum:
It comes just before entering in to Srisailam. It shows the cultural habits of local tribal people - "Chenchus".
Mallela teertham:
It comes 60 k.m before Srisailam. You have to take diversion from the highway and travel 7 k.m from Vativellu palli village in a muddy road. It is a Natural water-falls in the deep forest. A nice place to visit.
WHERE TO STAY IN SRISAILAM?
- There are good numbers of luxury as well as budget accommodations in Srisaillam.
- The Devasthanam is having 25 individual cottages, Pathaleswara Sadan with 23 Deluxe Suites, Sivasadanam guest house with 100 rooms, T.T.D Guest House with 10 rooms,Chandeswara Sadanam with 22 rooms and a dormitory Choultry consisting of 7 Halls. Devasthanam has also constructed a modern complex with 112 suites named as Gangasadan and Gowrisadan.
- The Andhra Pradesh Tourism Department runs a few hotels like Ganga Sadan, Gouri Sadan and Punnami Guest House. These are clean and well maintained accommodation options and the room tariffs range from Rs 25 to Rs 500.
- Few others accommodation options are Srisailam Devasthanam guest house that offers low cost cottages. Alluri Sitarama Raju Dharmashala that is located near the temple is a good and cheaper option to stay.
- Besides this there are 40 private choultries consisting of about 1200 rooms and they are also providing accommodation to the pilgrim.
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| Panoramic Krishna river |
GETTING THERE:
- There is no Airport or Railway station near by Srisailam. The only way is to travel by Road.
- APSRTC maintains all types of Buses to Srisailam. If you want to go directly to Srisailam, it is better to get tickets by prior reservation. If you want to visit all important places explained in this post, you have chose step by step Bus journey, which is very hard.
- Every week, on Saturday and Sunday, AP Tourism dept. operates a two day trip to Srisailam from Hyderabad. It takes you directly to Srisailam, provides residence and shows some tourist attractions there.
- The best way to cover all important places and enjoy the trip is to chose a rented or own vehicle.
HYDERABAD TO SRISAILAM:
- Most of the travelers visit Srisailam from Hyderabad as a weekend trip by vechicle / taxi or by APSRTC bus.
- It is quite easy to drive to Srisailam as the traffic is not much on that road and the ghat section is not too curvy or tough to drive like some other ghat sections in india.
- You can reach Srisailam in 5 - 6 hours. But check the route, there are 3 major diversion you have to notice.
- Before reaching Kalwakurthi town, take left for bipass the town.
- You have to take Right on the Kalwakurthi Devarakonda Road (app.. 10 Km from Kalwakurthy).
- After crossing 'Dindi' Village, you have to take left (after 20km from Dindi).
- You will find regular buses from Mahatma Gandhi Bus terminus, Hyderabad to SriSailam.
- Please check www.apsrtconline.in for time table.
- My personal advice is avoid the night journey.
- The checkpost at Munnanoor will close between 9:00 pm - 5:30 am.
- If you want to plan to reach Srisailam in the night better start around 4 PM in Hyderabad, so that you can cross the forest checkpost in time.
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