City-information for Srisailam

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Population 21,000
It is located on Rishabhagiri Hill, on the bank of the sacred river Krishna, about a 6-hour bus ride south of Hyderabad (200 km). Srisailam is also called Sri Sailam or Sriparvata. It is a very ancient place and is mentioned in the Mahabharata and the Puranas. On top of the Srisailam Hill is the famous Mallikarjuna Temple, dedicated to Lord Siva. It is one of the most visited temples in Andhra Pradesh.

It is considered to be a necessary part of Srisailam pilgrimage to bathe in the Pathalaganga River, which is the local name for the Krishna River. It is located about 3 km east of the Mallikarjuna Temple. From the temple, there are steps leading down the hill to the river. Siva-linga stones are collected from the banks of this holy Krishna River.

The Uma-maheswara Temple, about 3 km northwest of the Mallikarjuna Temple on the way to Pathalaganga, is a very ornate temple. In Basar is a temple dedicated to Saraswati. This is one of the only Saraswati temples in India, except for one in Kashmir.

You can get a small book about the temple called The Holy History of Srisailam from salesmen in front of the temple or at the bus stand