rudrayana: February 2013

On the pilgrimage from Rameswaram, from the Sri Ramanathaswamy Jyotirlinga Temple, northwards, is the Sri Mallikarjunaswamy Jyotirlinga Temple at Srisailam, Kurnool District, Andhra Pradesh. Set deep within the mountain ranges, above the steep cliffs over the Krishna River, within the Nagarjunasagar Project Tiger Reserve, you cannot but help wonder about the significance of the association of Shiva with water. In Rameswaram, is the association with 65 natural freshwater perennial springs, continuing to flow with freshwater only, since the Ramayana. This, in an island out in the sea. And, now, at Srisailam, high up in the hills, nestling the amazingly wonderful watershed of the Nagarjunasagar forests, is the second Jyotirlinga temple, as you move northwards.

Srisailam town and mandal, hidden deep within the Nallamalai hills of Kurnool District is in one of the most pristine forests of India. On the River Krishna, it is located high up in the steep vertical cliffs that overlook the river. Just about more than 200 kms south of Hyderabad, it is easily accessible with excellent road network.

The temple is usually referred to as the Srisailam Jyotirlinga Temple. Shiva is recognised in his manifestation here at Srisailam as Sri Mallikarjunaswamy, and Parvathi is recognised in her manifestation as Bhramaramba. Thus, the temple is known as the Sri Bhramaramba Mallikarjunaswamy Jyotirlinga Temple at Srisailam.

The temple is mentioned in the Skanda Purana with its own chapter titled Srisaila Kandam, and therefore indicates the antiquity of the Jyotirlinga manifestation. Several other leading saints have visited Srisaila over thousands of years. Adi Sankara has visited Srisaila and composed his veneration - Sivananda Lahiri at the temple. The temple finds mention in the puranas and the Mahabharata.

Important places at Srisailam for pilgrimage and tourism

Akka Mahadevi Caves - Named after the ascetic, lyricist and philosopher from Karnataka, it is said that Akka Mahadevi worshiped Shiva in his lingodbhava roopam in the deep caves.

Srisailam Nagarjunasagar Dam - On the Krishna River, is 512 m long.

Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Project Tiger Reserve and Wildlife Sanctuary - One of the largest tiger reserves in India, covering 3500 sq km.

Hemareddy Mallamma Temple - about 500 meters near the Sri Mallikarjunaswamy Temple, is the Hemareddy Mallamma ashram. A devotee of Shiva, it is believed that she could talk to him and seek solace for her problems.

Mallela Teertham - Beautiful waterfall in the forests, 50 kms before one reaches Srisailam.

View Larger Map
Sri Bhramaramba Mallikarjunaswamy Jyotirlinga Temple settlement areas
on the Srisailam Nallamalais Plateau within the Nagarjunasagar Project
Tiger Reserve and Reservoir area. Kurnool District, Andhra Pradesh

The temple settlement on the Nallamalai hills

Close up view of the temple quadrangle

The temple precincts

Hemareddy Mallela temple and ashram premises

Chatrapati Shivaji Memorial near the Srisailam Temple

The Sri Rameswaram Jyotirlinga temple as it is usually referred to, is the Shri Ramanathaswamy Temple at the Island of Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, India. Ramanathaswamy - meaning, the Lord to whom Shri Rama himself had worshipped, Shiva, in the aspect of Lingodbhava. The temple is also one of the 275 sacred paadal petra sthalam of Shiva (= sacred places of Shiva's presence).

The Sri Ramanathaswamy temple is of course, the most photographed, with the longest corridor, with the many hundred pillars. Most importantly, the temple is the foremost of the Jyotirlinga temples, the first among the twelve.

If you are starting on a pilgrimage to travel across India, in search of Shiva, and to seek his blessings, and really really understand the amazing aspect of Rudra, then, start from Sri Ramanathaswamy and travel northwards from Rameswaram to Srisailam, Bhimashankar, Grushneswar, Tryambakeshwar, Somnath, Nageshwar, Omkareshwar, Mahakaleshwar, Vaidyanath, Vishwanath and Kedarnath. But, no pilgrimage is ever complete without ensuring homage to Devi Shakti herself, in her aspect of Sri Kanya Kumari at the southern tip of India, and to Kartikeya at the Aaru Paadai temples (= six sacred spots) in Tamil Nadu, to the Pancha Bhoota Sthala (= five aspects of energy) of Shiva in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, Lord Venkateswara at Tirupati, Ashtavinayaka (= Eight aspects of Ganesha) in Maharashtra, the Char Dham (= Four sacred pilgrimage spots) in Uttarakhand, the Pancha Kailash (= Five Kailash pilgrimage places) in Himachal and Uttarakhand, and finally, Pashupathinath in Kathmandu, Nepal and the absolutely final destination - Mount Kailash, in Tibet.

It begins in Rameswaram.

The legend and sthala purana (= story of the land) of Rameswaram explains that Rama, the seventh avatar of Vishnu, worshipped Shiva to seek his blessings and to be absolved of the sins of killing Ravana. It was said that Ravana, the King of Lanka, was the greatest devotee of Shiva, and had received tremendous blessings from him through boons and weapons. Ravana had established the Pancha Ishwaram temples (= five Shiva temples) around the coast of Lanka, to protect the island from invaders and natural calamities. To establish these temples, the legends of these places mention that Ravana had traveled back and forth from Kailash to Lanka and had brought the Lingodbhavaroopam (= the aspect of Shiva in the form of the Lingam) and thereafter conducted the installation rituals himself.

Understanding the significance of the close affection of Shiva to his favourite devotee, Ravana, and to absolve himself of the sin of having to kill the King of Lanka, Rama desired that Hanuman should bring the Lingodbhavaroopam manifestation of Shiva from Kailash to be established at Rameswaram. Hanuman was delayed, and in order to ensure that the rituals were completed in time, Sita built a smaller version of the Lingodbhava and allowed for Rama to conduct the sacred prayers. In the meantime, Hanuman arrived with the larger aspect of the Lingodbhava and thus, both were installed at Rameswaram. The sanctum of the temple presents the Lingodbhava of Shiva, the smaller version built and established by Sita, and alongside, in the inner parikrama (= circumambulation), is the one brought by Hanuman.