Srisailam Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga Temple is one of the most prominent and holy places of worship for the Hindus. This is one temple where the Shiva-Shakti form is worshipped together. The Srisaillam is also known as Sirigiri, Srigiri, Sriparvatam and Srinagam. If you want to know everything about this famous temple then keep on reading this article.
Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga Temple
Location: Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh
Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga Temple Timings:
The temple timing is 4:30 am to 10pm for daily Darshan. For morning Darshan the timing is 6am to 3:30pm. For the evening Darshan the timing is 6pm to 10pm.
The Suprabhata Darshan and Arati take place at 5am. The Mahamangala Arati takes place at 5:30am. Again at 5pm in the evening the Mahamangala Arati takes place.
Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga Temple Entry fee: There is no entry fee.
How to reach Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga Temple:
How to reach by train:
The nearest railway stations are Marakpur which is 62km away, Kurnool which is 190km away and Vinukonda that is 120km away. Srisailam has no direct railway connectivity.
How to reach by flight:
Direct flights are not available to Srisailam. Rajiv Gandhi International Airport is the nearest airport in Hyderabad. Hyderabad to Mallikarjuna distance is 195km.
How to reach by road:
Road connectivity is better. Srisailam Bus Stand is the nearest Bus Stand which is 1km away from the temple. There are regular bus services to Srisailam from Vishkahaptnam, Nellore, Hyderabad, Guntur, Kurnool, Vijaywada etc. You will also get cabs and shared taxi rides on this route.
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Best time to visit :-
October to February is the best time to visit this particular temple. The weather is pleasant and will be comfortable for the devotees for the temple visit. The summers are very hot and humid. So it is not advisable to visit around that time.
About Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga Temple:
The Mallikarjuna Temple Srisailam also known as Sri Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Temple or Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga Temple or Srisailam Temple is a powerful temple of Lord Shiva. The presiding deity here is Lord Shiva and Devi Parvati. This is one such unique temple where both Shaivism and Shaktism are practiced. This temple is considered as the 2nd of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. Along with that this temple is also the 6th of the 51 Shakti Peethas of Goddess Parvati and it is believed that the neck of Sati fell here while Lord Shiva was carrying her corpse. In this temple Lord Shiva is worshipped in Mallikarjuna form. He is represented here by the lingam and the lingam here is Swayamsambhu. The temple is called the Bhramaramba and Devi Parvati is worshiped as Bhramaramba.
People belonging to any caste, religion and creed can offer their puja and take part in Abhishekam of the Mallikarjuna Lingam. A unique thing about this temple is that anyone can touch the lingam here and offer puja on their own.
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History of Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga Temple:
It is believed that Lord Shiva and Devi Parvati got Riddhi, Siddhi and Buddhi and got them married to Lord Ganesha. Lord Kartikeya got angry and declared himself Kumar Brahmachari and went away to stay alone at the Krauncha Mountain. Lord Shiva and Devi Parvati then went and tried to pacify him but he went to another place nearby. The place where Lord Shiva and Paravati Devi stayed later came to be known as Srisailam.
As per Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva is worshipped here in the form of Linga. Locally he was worshipped with Jasmine which was called Mallika in Telugu and therefore the presiding deity got established in the name of Mallikarjuna.
Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga Temple Architecture:
The Mallikarjuna Temple is huge, sprawling across an area of 2 hectares. It has a total of 4 gopurams or gateways. The main shrines inside the temple belong to Mallikarjuna and Bhramaramba. A lot of shrines here were built during the times of Vijayanagara dynasty. The temple is east facing. There is a Mukha Mandapa. The mandap has an idol of Nandikeshwara along with several pillars.
The shrine of Mallikarjuna is the oldest here and dates back to 7th century. It is believed that there is a Sahasra linga in the temple that is 1000 linga which was installed by Lord Rama himself. The linga is divided into 25 facets that make a cluster of 40 lingas each and the total number becomes 1000. There are other 5 lingas here which are believed to be placed by the Pandavas. This is known as the Panchpandava Lingas. The 5 lingas are different forms of Lord Shiva and have different names to them, like Vamadeva, Sadyajatha, Aghora, Eesana and Tatpurush. The wall of the temple also depicts some stories from Mahabharata as well. In Mahabharata this temple has been mentioned as a holy hill.
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Main festivals celebrated in Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga Temple:
The most important festival here is the Mahashivaratri. This festival is celebrated during February or March on the 29th day of Magha month. It is a 7day long festival. Some of the important events at this time are Dhwajarohana, Ankurapana, Vahana Seva.
Ugadi is also celebrated here and a lot of people attend the festival. It is a 3 day long festival that begins 3 days before Ugadi which is the New Year for Telugu people. The festival takes place in the month of March or April.
Sravana Mahotsavam is another festival celebrated during the month of Shravan. This festival happens during the month of August or September. During this time Akhanda Sivanama Sankeertana takes place which is Bhajan that happens around the clock throughout this month.
Kartheekai Mahotsav is another important celebration here. The devotees light diyas or deepams inside the temple complex and also perform Jvalathoranam or bonfire on the full moon day of that month.
Where to stay :-
You can stay at the Devasthanam. The temple management launched this donation scheme known as the Kuteera Nirmana Pathakam where they have rooms, dormitories, cottages and suites. Pre booking is advisable. Also do carry your identity card which is needed for booking here.
Along with that you will get a good number of hotels in Srisailam. Some of them are APTDC Srisailam, Ganga and Gauri Sadan, Haritha Srisailam etc.
Nearby places :-
Other places near Srisailam are Nagarjunasagar that is 74 km away, Nagarjunakonda that is 63 km away and Kurnool that is 93 km away. You can also visit Hampi which is at a distance of 270km and Hyderabad which is 151km away from Srisailam.
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Nearby places to visit from Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga Temple:
You can surely visit the Sikhareswaram Temple which is only 8 km away from Srisailam. The temple is located at 2830 feet. This is also the highest peak in Srisailam. It is believed that a look at this peak will free people from the burden of Rebirths. That is the reason this temple is visited by a lot of devotees.
Sakshi Ganapathi is another temple that you can visit which is only 3km away from Srisaillam. It is believed that Ganapathi in this temple maintains a log of the Attendence or Sakshi of Srisailam.
Hatakeswaram is a temple 5km away from Srisailam. It is believed that Lord Shiva appeared in Atika or a piece of pot. Therefore this place was known as Atikeswaram which later on came to be known as Hatakeswaram.
Akkamahadevi Temple is located 10km away from Srisailam. It is said that a lyricist and philosopher Akkamahadevi spent some years here in 12th century AD and worshipped a Shivalinga.
The Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga Temple is one of the most popular and visited temples. The presence of two most important shrines of Lord Shiva and Devi Parvati together makes this place an important site. The history is very rich and the relevance of this temple is appreciated. I hope this article will be helpful if you ever think of visiting this temple. Do let me know what other temples you would like to know about.
