Mallikarjuna Temple, Srisailam

Significance

Srisailam is sacred to two traditions at once. Shiva is worshipped here as Mallikarjuna, one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, and his consort Parvati as Bhramaramba, whose shrine is counted among the Shakti Peethas, the centres of the goddess.

History and legend

One legend tells that Kartikeya, angry that his brother Ganesha had been married first, went away to live alone on Mount Krauncha. Shiva and Parvati followed to pacify him, and the place where they stayed became Srisailam. The name Mallikarjuna is linked to the jasmine, mallika in Telugu, with which the linga was worshipped.

Inscriptions from the Satavahana period suggest a shrine here by the 2nd century. Much of the present complex, with its four gopurams and high enclosing walls, dates from the Vijayanagara era in the 14th and 15th centuries.

Before you go

• The drive from Hyderabad takes most of a day; plan to arrive in daylight.
• Srisailam sits above the Krishna river and the Srisailam dam; the Patala Ganga steps lead down to the river.
• Weekends and festival days are crowded; weekdays are calmer.