Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple

The Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple, is the most famous in the town and it is 6 centuries old, it was built by King Harihara Raya of Vijayanagar. Even the town of Srisailam is known for this temple built on the Southern bank of River Krishna.

In the temple, you will find the idol of sage Bringi standing on three legs as well as idols of Nandi, Sahasranlinga, and Nataraja. The idol of sage Bringi standing on three legs is mainly because of the legend that the temple houses believed that, Goddess Parvati cursed sage Nringi to stand, as he only worshipped Lord Shiva. So then Lord Shiva, after consoling the Goddess, gave him the third leg, so that he could stand more comfortably on three legs.

This sacred structure is located on the Nallamala hills. The walls and pillars of the temples are adorned by beautiful carvings and sculptures which one should not miss while here.

History of Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple

Several rulers contributed to the building and maintenance of the Mallikarjuna Swamy temple. However, the first records appear in 1 AD in the books of the Shathavahanas empire builders.

Subsequently, Ikshvakus, Pallavas, Chalukyas, and Reddis, who were also followers of the Mallikarjuna Swami contributed to the temple. The Vijayanagara Empire and Chhatrapati Shivaji also improved the shrine and temple (building the gopuram in 1667 AD) respectively.

Worship was halted here during the Mughal era but resumed during British rule. However, it was only after independence that this temple came back into prominence.

Architecture of Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple

The temple is 2 hectares and has 4 gateways or Gopurams- Tripuranthakam facing eastwards- is located in the Prakasam district, Siddhavatam faces south – is located in the Kadapa district, Alampur facing towards the west is located in Mehboobnagar district, Umamaheswaram facing northwards - It is located in the Mehboobnagar district. The temple is a mega complex that has separate temples for both deities. The entire complex is fortified by Prakaram walls.

The inner courtyard has Nandimandapa, Veerasiromandapa, the temple of Mallikarjuna, and the temple of Bhramaramba, all in a row from east to west. Some of the minor shrines such as the temple of Vriddha Mallikarjuna, Sahasra Lingeswara, etc. are located in the inner courtyard. The most notable mandapa, the Mukha mandapa was built during the Vijayanagar empire. This mandapa, which leads the sanctum, has intricately sculpted pillars.

Mallikarjuna’s shrine is the oldest temple, dating back to the 7th century. Sahasra linga (1000 linga) is believed to be commissioned by Rama and other 5 lingam by Pandavas. A mirror hall has images of Nataraja.

The story behind Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga

Lord Shiva and his consort Goddess Parvati could not make up their minds as to which of their sons, Ganesha or Kartikeya should get married first. To determine who would be first, they set a contest for the two: whoever would go around the world first would be the winner.

Lord Kartikeya immediately set off on his mount, the peacock. Lord Ganesha, on the other hand, went around his parents claiming that they were the world to him. It is said that going around one’s parents is equivalent to going around the world. So, he outwitted his brother and won the race. The pleased parents married their son off to Siddhi (spiritual powers) and Riddhi (prosperity). In some legends, Buddhi (intellect) is also believed to be his wife.

When Lord Kartikeya heard about this on his return, he was upset and decided that he would remain unmarried. (However, in some Tamil legends he is said to have two wives.) He left for Mount Krounch and started living there. His parents visited him there and hence there is a shrine for both there – a linga for Shiva and a Shakti Peetha for Parvati.