Srisailamis located on the banks of River Krishna. Here River Krishna is in the form of Patalaganga. Lakhs of devotees take a holy dip here and then go for the Darshan of the JyotirLinga.
Shrine’s History
Srisailam played a dominant role in our religious, cultural and social history from ancient times. 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 Reedy Kings, the Vijayanagara Emperors and Chatrapathi Shivaji are among the famous emperors who worshipped God 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 Reddi 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 Reddi of Reddy Dynasty constructed stepped pathway to Srisailam and Pathalaganga (Here the river Krishna is called as Pathalaganga) and Anavema Reddi 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. Chhatrapati-Sivaji 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 the northern side in the year 1667 A.D.
Architectural Relevance of This Shrine
The architecture of the ancient Mallikarjun Temple is very beautiful and intricate. The temple has fort like walls, towers and a rich endowment of sculptural work. The huge temple is built in the Dravidian style with lofty towers and sprawling courtyards and is considered to be one of the finest specimens of Vijayanagar architecture. Temple of Tripurantakam, Siddavatam, Alampura and Umamaheswaram located in the vicinity of Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga are considered to be the four gateways to Sri Sailam.
Shrine’s Map Location and How to Go There
By Road
Srisailam is well connected by Devasthanam buses and State-owned APSRTC buses. APSRTC buses charge about Rs. 80 from Srisailam to Hyderabad. The buses connect Srisailam with Mahaboobnagar, Hyderabad, Devorkonda, Mahanandi, Anantapur, Chitradurg, Guntur, Mantralayam, Tirupati and Vijayawada.
By Rail
Nearest rail head to Srisailam is the Markapur Road, on the Guntur-Hubli metre gauge rail route. The major broad-gauge railway station nearby is at Hyderabad at a distance of 232 km. Taxi cars and call taxis are available at the railway station.
By Air
The closest airport to Srisailam is located in Hyderabad at the distance of about 232 km from Srisailam. Hyderabad is air connected to Vishakapatnam, Bangalore, Chennai, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Mumbai and Delhi. Taxi cars and call taxis are available at the airport.
Shrine Timings
Darshan timings : Morning: 6:00 AM to 3:30 PM Evening: 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM Different types of Darshans: Suprabhatha Darshan 5.00 AM ? Rs 300.00 per person Mahamangala Harathi 5.50 AM ? Rs 200.00 per personSrisailam_Temple 5.00 PM ? Rs 200.00 per person Athiseegra Darshan 6.30 AM to 1.00 PM ? Rs 100.00 per person 6.30 PM to 9.00 PM ? Rs 100.00 per person Special Darshan (Except Saturday,Sunday ,Monday & Important Days) 6.30 AM to 1.00 PM ? Rs 50.00 per person 6.30 PM to 9.00 PM ? Rs 50.00 per person V.I.P Darshan ( only on Saturday,Sunday ,Monday & Important Days) 6.30 AM to 1.00 PM ? Rs 500.00 per person 6.30 PM to 9.00 PM ? Rs 500.00 per person Free Darshan 6.00 AM to 3.30 PM 6.00 PM to 10.00 PM
Extra Information About this Shrine
All ticket poojas/sevas will be cancelled during Mahasivaratri & Ugadi Festivals