Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga

The story of this place

The tradition says that after the marriage of Lord Ganesha, Lord Kartikeya felt hurt and went away to the south to live alone. Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati followed their son out of love, and the hill where they stayed became Srisailam. The Lord here was worshipped with jasmine flowers, called mallika in Telugu, and so he came to be known as Mallikarjuna.

This is a very old shrine. Inscriptions from the Satavahana period show that the temple was known as far back as the 2nd century. Later, the Reddi kings built the long flight of steps down to the Patala Ganga, and the Vijayanagara emperors, especially Harihara I, added grand mandapas and the great fort-like walls you see today, carved with scenes of elephants and of Lord Shiva in many forms.

Adi Shankaracharya came to Srisailam too. The tradition holds that he composed the Sivananda Lahari, his famous hymn of one hundred verses to Lord Shiva, while staying here. And within the same walls lives the Goddess. The shrine of Bhramaramba Devi is counted among the Maha Shakti Peethas, so at Srisailam the Jyotirlinga and the Shakti Peetha stand together. Very few temples in India carry this double sanctity, and devotees feel it the moment they enter.

What you will see

The temple faces east, enclosed by massive stone walls that look more like a fort than a temple compound. You enter through a gopuram, cross pillared halls of the Vijayanagara period, and reach the sanctum of Lord Mallikarjuna, which is the oldest part of the temple. A short walk behind and above it is the shrine of Goddess Bhramaramba Devi. Do both darshans; your yatra is complete only with the Mother's blessing.

Around the temple there is much to see. Sakshi Ganapathi is a small shrine on the way where devotees stop, because the tradition says this Ganapathi records the names of all who come for darshan. Sikhareswaram is a hilltop shrine nearby; devotees believe that a darshan from this peak frees one from rebirth. Paladhara and Panchadhara are quiet streams linked with Adi Shankaracharya's tapasya. And the Patala Ganga is the Krishna river flowing far below the temple; a long stairway of over 800 steps goes down to the water where pilgrims bathe.

Srisailam is also the land of the Chenchu tribal people, and the Chenchu Lakshmi Tribal Museum tells their story. The forests all around are part of the Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve, the largest tiger reserve in India, and the great Srisailam dam on the Krishna river stands close to the town.

Darshan, timings and temple etiquette

The temple day begins very early, around 4:30 in the morning, with the Suprabhatam. Darshan then runs through the morning and afternoon, and again in the evening until about 9:30 or 10 at night, with breaks for the daily sevas. The timings change on festival days and in the month of Shravan, so please check the current schedule on the official website, srisailadevasthanam.org, before you plan your day.

Srisailam gives you one blessing that is rare among the twelve Jyotirlingas: Sparsha Darshan, where devotees are allowed to touch the Jyotirlinga during limited slots of the day. The slots are small and demand is high, so book in advance on the official devasthanam website. The free Sarva Darshan queue is always available for everyone.

Special sevas like abhishekam to Lord Mallikarjuna and kumkumarchana to Goddess Bhramaramba are performed daily. Please book these only through the temple's official channels, on the devasthanam website or at the temple counters, and not through agents. Inside, keep your phone away, dress modestly as you would for any temple, and keep patience in the queue; on weekends it can be long.

Best time to visit

October to February is the most comfortable season, when the Nallamala hills are cool and the ghat drive is pleasant. Maha Shivaratri is the greatest festival here, and lakhs of devotees come for it; the darshan is powerful but the queues are very long, so come only if crowds do not trouble you.

Shravan month, weekends and long holidays also bring heavy rush. Summer afternoons are hot, though mornings remain fine. In the monsoon the forest turns beautifully green, but drive carefully on the ghat road and keep some buffer time in your plan.

How to reach

Most pilgrims come from Hyderabad, which is about 215 km away, a drive of roughly 5 to 6 hours. The last stretch is a winding ghat road through the tiger reserve forest, and we suggest you cross it in daylight hours. From Kurnool the distance is about 180 km.

The nearest railway station is Markapur Road, about 85 to 90 km from Srisailam, on the Guntur side; buses and taxis are available from there. The nearest airport is Hyderabad, about 230 km away. For our guests we plan Srisailam as a two day trip from Hyderabad, with an overnight stay near the temple so that you get the early morning darshan.

Tips from our travel experts

Stay one night at Srisailam. The devasthanam runs its own accommodation, which can be booked on the official website, and an overnight stay lets you take the early darshan before the day crowd builds up.

If you wish for Sparsha Darshan, book it online well before your travel dates; the slots fill fast. The steps down to Patala Ganga are many, so elders should think twice before attempting them. Carry water for the walks between the smaller shrines, and keep an ID with you for bookings.

Keep one evening free to see the Srisailam dam viewpoint and the sunset over the Krishna gorge. It is a calm and beautiful close to a day of darshan.

For our NRI and OCI travellers

If your India trip allows only one temple journey in the south, Srisailam gives you two tirthas in one: a Jyotirlinga and a Shakti Peetha together. Many of our overseas guests combine it with Tirupati or Hyderabad.

All darshan and seva bookings can be made from abroad on the official devasthanam website, so plan your slots before you fly. Avoid weekends if you can; the Hyderabad weekend crowd is large. Keep two full days for the trip, and if your parents are travelling, ask us to plan the drive with a lunch halt so the ghat road does not tire them.