Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga (Srisailam)

Second Jyotirlinga on the Nallamala hills — Mallikarjuna and Bhramaramba Shakti Peetha together.

दर्शन महत्व: Forest gorge setting on the Krishna river; one of the most powerful combined Shaiva–Shakti pilgrimages.

यात्रा का सर्वश्रेष्ठ समय: Oct–Feb

History

Mallikarjuna at Srisailam in the Nallamala hills of Andhra Pradesh is the second Jyotirlinga, standing beside Bhramaramba Devi. Inscriptions record patronage by the Satavahanas, Kakatiyas, Vijayanagara kings, and later Maratha and Nizam-era devotees. The temple sits above the Krishna river gorge and remains one of South India’s great Shaiva–Shakti centres.

Legends

• Shiva and Parvati are said to have come here as Mallikarjuna and Bhramaramba after their children Ganesha and Kartikeya raced around the world; the parents waited on this hill for the children who never returned in time.
• A second lore holds that a princess named Chandravati worshipped a jasmine (mallika) lingam here, giving the Lord his name Mallikarjuna.
• Srisailam is also counted among the Maha Shakti Peethas — the neck of Sati is worshipped as Bhramaramba, so darshan of both Jyotirlinga and Peetha is completed in one yatra.