Mallikarjuna Temple (Srisailam)ਮੱਲਿਕਾਰਜੁਨ ਮੰਦਰ (ਸ੍ਰੀਸ਼ੈਲਮ)

What is the Mallikarjuna Temple?

The Mallikarjuna Temple at Srisailam is one of those rare shrines that belongs to two traditions at once. High on the Nallamala hills of the Eastern Ghats, in Andhra Pradesh’s Nandyal district, it is a Jyotirlinga — one of the twelve shrines where Shiva is worshipped as a self-manifested pillar of light — and, inside the same walled complex, the temple of Bhramaramba, Parvati in her fierce form, one of the eighteen Maha Shakta pithas. Shaivas and Shaktas make the same climb. The temple is usually counted second in the twelve-Jyotirlinga sequence, after Somnath. It stands deep inside the Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve, one of the largest tiger reserves in India, on a ridge above the Krishna river gorge — the river here is called Patal Ganga, and 852 steps run down to its bathing ghat.

Shiva and Shakti in one complex

Shiva is worshipped here as Mallikarjuna, in the form of the lingam. The name, the tradition says, comes from mallika — jasmine — which devotees offered the deity in such abundance that the flower gave the god his name. His consort Parvati is Bhramaramba — the name means the goddess in the form of a bee, and the story tells that the Devi took the bee’s form to worship Shiva at this site. The Bhramaramba shrine is counted among the eighteen Maha Shakta pithas: the tradition of Daksha’s sacrifice and Sati’s self-immolation says that where pieces of Sati’s body fell, the Goddess’s power settled — and here, it is held, her neck fell. Whether one comes as a Shaiva or a Shakta, the complex answers both devotions in a single visit; it is also listed among the 276 Paadal Petra Sthalams of the Tamil Shaiva canon.

The legend of Kartikeya’s anger

The temple’s founding story is a family story. When Shiva and Parvati arranged marriages for their two sons — Ganesha receiving Riddhi (intellect) and Siddhi (spiritual power) — Kartikeya returned to find the arrangements made, took offence, and withdrew to live alone as a celibate on Mount Krauncha, at Palani. Shiva and Parvati came to console him, but each time the father approached, the son moved further away — until, at the request of the devas, he agreed to stay close by. The place where Shiva and Parvati remained is Srisailam. It is a gentler telling than many temple legends: the gods not as distant powers but as parents who could not bear to leave their child, and whose longing rooted a shrine in the hills.

Two thousand years of building

Inscriptions of the Satavahana dynasty place a temple here as early as the 2nd century CE — the shrine of Mallikarjuna itself is thought to be the oldest part of the complex, reaching back to the 7th century. The Reddi kings of the 12th and 13th centuries added the veerasheromandapam hall and the steps down to the Patal Ganga. Most of what a visitor sees today comes from the Vijayanagara period: King Harihara I (14th–15th centuries) sponsored major additions, including the Mukha Mandapa, the pillared hall leading to the sanctum, whose columns carry some of the temple’s finest sculpture. Today the temple is maintained and administered by the government of Andhra Pradesh.

A Dravidian temple inside a tiger reserve

The complex covers about two hectares and is enclosed by walls 183 metres by 152 metres and 8.5 metres tall, with four towering gopurams. It is a full Dravidian temple: stepped pyramidal towers, sculpted mandapas, and the gold-plated vimana of the Mallikarjuna shrine. Inside are many smaller shrines — among them a Sahasra linga, a thousand lingams in one, which tradition says was commissioned by Rama, and five lingams attributed to the Pandavas. A mirror hall in the first enclosure holds images of Nataraja. Then there is the setting: the temple sits inside the Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve, one of the largest in India — the forest approach road, with its ghat turns, is part of the pilgrimage. The Krishna, here called Patal Ganga, flows in the gorge below; the Shiva lingam is bathed in its water, and the 852 steps down to the ghat are themselves a small pilgrimage.

How do I visit Srisailam?

Srisailam is about 213 kilometres from Hyderabad, the usual starting point, and around 180 kilometres from Kurnool. The nearest railhead is Markapur, with the onward journey by road through the forest ghat; the nearest airports are Kurnool and Hyderabad. The best months are October to March; Maha Shivaratri is the temple’s great festival, drawing lakhs of devotees. The temple offers several darshan types; book darshan tickets and accommodation in advance at the official devasthanam site, srisailadevasthanam.org.

Can devotees touch the Jyotirlinga?

Yes — in a limited way. A Sparsha Darshanam is held Tuesday to Friday, in which devotees may touch the Swayambhu (self-manifested) Jyotirlinga with their own hands. Traditional dress is required, and touching is not permitted at the Bhramaramba shrine.