Srisailam Jyotirlinga
Tour
Srisailam is a holy town and Mandal, situated in Nallamala
hills of Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is 232
km south of Hyderabad, on the banks of River Krishna. A famous
temple dedicated to Lord Mallikarjuna Swamy and Bhramaramba
is located here. Srisailam is one among the various Jyothirlingam
of India. A multipurpose dam has been built across River Krishna
and caters to the irrigation and power needs of the state.
The dam is located about 245 km from Hyderabad and 132 km
from Nandyal.
The origins of this temple have been lost in antiquity. The
Skanda Purana has a chapter called Srisaila Kandam dedicated
to it, which points to the ancient origin. This is confirmed
also by the fact that Tamil saints of the past millennia have
sung praises of this temple. It is said that Adi Sankara visited
this temple and at that time he composed his Sivananda Lahiri.
Srisailam is referenced in the ancient Hindu Puranas, and
the epic Mahabharata.
Shiva's sacred bull Vrishabha is said to have performed penance
at the Mahakali temple till Shiva and Parvati appeared before
him as Mallikarjuna and Brahmaramba. The temple is one of
the 12 hallowed jyotirlingas; Lord Rama himself installed
the Sahasralinga, while the Pandavas lodged the Panchapandava
lingas in the temple courtyard. Heroic legends from the Mahabharata
and Ramayana are sculpted in stone on the temple walls and
the Mahabharata epic refers to Srisailam as Sri Parvata -
the blessed hill. You can hear the buzzing of a bee through
a tiny hole in the Brahmaramba temple, where Parvati, in the
form of a bee, slew the demon Mahisasura. also told is that
Hiranyakasipu of Kretayuga has conducted pujas here. It is
one of the holiest places that India has to offer.

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