Situated in the thick, deep forests of Nallamalai
hills in the Kurnool District of Andhra Pradesh, Sree Sailam Temple is
one of the most ancient and sacred places in South India. Standing on
the shores of River Krishna known as 'Pataalganga' here on the
Rishabhagiri hill, it is also known by the names of Sri Giri,
Sriparvata, Rudra Parvata and Seshachalam. Its reference can be found in
several texts and Puranas. The presiding deities of the temple are Sri
Mallikarjuna Swami and his consort Bharamaramba (incarnations of Shiva
and Parvati). The lingam here is said to be one of the twelve
Jyotirlingams in the country. The sculptural beauty of the temple is
exemplary and there are about 116 inscriptions in and around it.Unlike other temples in Andhra Pradesh, people of any caste or creed can worship in this temple and touch the deity. Historically, this temple has been associated with the Chalukyan kings, Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagara and Chatrapati Shivaji along with Adi Shankaracharya and the Buddhist pilgrims, Fahiyan and Hieun T`sang who have made references to it in their extensive travelogues. Both the Hindus and the Buddhists consider this place sacred. According to the popular legend, Vrishabha, the sacred bull mount of Lord Shiva performed penance here until Lord Shiva and Parvati appeared before him as Mallikarjuna and Bharamaramba. The other shrines that are enclosed within the Sreesailam temple premises are Sahasra Linga, Panchapandava Temples and Vata Vriksha.
