Srisailam is a census town in

Nandyal district Nandyal district is a district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Nandyal as its administrative headquarters, it was formed on 4 April 2022 to become one of the resultant twenty-six districts and one of the district in Rayalaseema regio ...

of the

Indian state India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, with a total of 36 entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and smaller administrative divisions. History Pre-indepen ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

. It is the mandal headquarters of

Srisailam mandal Srisailam mandal is one of the 54 mandals in Nandyal district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is under the administration of new formed Atmakur revenue division and the headquarters are located at Srisailam Project (RFC) Township. ...

in Atmakur revenue division. It is located about from the district headquarters

Nandyal Nandyal is a city and District headquarters of Nandyal district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipality and the headquarters of Nandyal mandal in Nandyal revenue division. Demographics In the 2011 census of India, Nandya ...

, from Kurnool, and it is located about from

Vijayawada Vijayawada, formerly known as Bezawada, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and is a part of the state's Capital Region. It is the administrative headquarters of the NTR district. Its metropolitan region comprises N ...

. The town is famous for

Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga Sri Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Temple or Srisailam Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deities Shiva and Parvati, located at Srisailam in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is significant to the Hindu sects of both Shaivism and Shakt ...

Temple and is one of the holy pilgrimage sites for Saivism and

Shaktism Shaktism ( sa, शाक्त, , ) is one of several major Hindu denominations, wherein the metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically a woman and Shakti ( Mahadevi) is regarded as the supreme godhead. It includes many goddesses, al ...

sects of

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

. The town is classified as both Jyotirlinga and

Shakti Peetha The Shakti Pitha or the Shakti Peethas ( sa, शक्ति पीठ, , ''seat of Shakti'') are significant shrines and pilgrimage destinations in Shaktism, the goddess-centric denomination in Hinduism. The shrines are dedicated to various fo ...

Demographics

India

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

, Srisailam had a population of 23,257. Males constituted 54% of the population and females 46%. Srisailam Project (RFC) Township has an average literacy rate of 75.62% higher than the state average of 67.02%. Male literacy is around 85.68% while female literacy rate is 63.24%. 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Tourism

Srisailam is one of the popular tourist destinations in

and considered one of the most important pilgrimage centres of

Lord Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

. *

Srisailam Dam The Srisailam Dam is constructed across the Krishna River in Nagarkurnool district , Telangana and Nandyal district, Andhra Pradesh near Srisailam temple town and is the 2nd largest capacity working hydroelectric station in India. The d ...

which was built over Krishna river is one of the largest dams in South India. *

Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve is the largest tiger reserve in India. The reserve spreads over five districts, Kurnool District, Prakasam District, Guntur District, Nalgonda District and Mahabub Nagar district. The total area of the tiger ...

, India's largest tiger reserve is spread over 3500 km². This Sanctuary is a natural habitat of diverse species of flora and fauna. The lush and dense Nallamala Forest range is a popular destination for

trekking Backpacking is the outdoor recreation of carrying gear on one's back, while hiking for more than a day. It is often an extended journey, and may involve camping outdoors. In North America tenting is common, where simple shelters and mountain h ...

, hill climbing, forest exploration and research, to which Srisailam town acts as a base camp. *

enshrines Lord Mallikarjuna and is an ancient temple built in a Dravidian style with specimens showcasing the Vijayanagara architecture. *Akka Mahadevi Caves, Pathalaganga, Shikareshwara Temple are few other attractions in this place. *Siddi Ramappa Kolanu waterfalls located at Srisailam Half Kilo Meter Distance from Main Temple.

Education

The primary and secondary school education is imparted by government, aided and private schools, under the ''School Education Department'' of the state.

Transport

The

Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) is the state-owned road transport corporation in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Its headquarters is located at NTR Administrative Block of RTC House in Pandit Nehru bus station of V ...

operates bus services from Srisailam and Atmakur bus station with Atmakur bus depot. By Foot There is a path to travel on foot from Atmakur to Srisailam. The Devotees to fulfil their Vow to Lord Shiva will take this path to reach Srisailam on foot from Atmakur. The path completely passes through dense forest of Nallamala Hills. One has to carry their own food and Potable items with them as there are no adequate facilities. This path for devotees is allowed only twice in a year viz., # Maha Shivaratri # Ugadi Road There are two roads to reach Srisailam as it can be accessed by road from Dornala and Atchampet. The state government-owned

(APSRTC) operates frequent buses from Atmakur and Dornala and also from nearby places. Rail The nearest railway station is at Markapur Road Railway Station, about 90 kilometres from Srisailam. Markapur Road railway station in the

South Central Railway The South Central Railway (abbreviated SCR) is one of the 19 zones of Indian Railways. The jurisdiction of the zone is spread over the states of Telangana, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh. It has three divisions under its administrati ...

zone of the

Indian Railways Indian Railways (IR) is a statutory body under the ownership of Ministry of Railways, Government of India that operates India's national railway system. It manages the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size, with a tota ...

. It is under the jurisdiction of

Guntur Railway Division Guntur Railway Division is one of the three divisions of the South Coast Railway zone of Indian Railways. The division was sanctioned in 1995–96 and was fully operational on 1 April 2003, with its headquarters at Guntur. The ''Rail Vikas Bhavan ...

. Airport The nearest airport is Kurnool Airport about 180 kilometres from Srisailam. It is a domestic airport. The nearest major airport is the

Hyderabad International Airport Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) is an international airport that serves Hyderabad, the capital of the Indian state of Telangana. It is located in Shamshabad, about south of Hyderabad and it was opened on 23 March 2008 to replace ...

located about from Srisailam.

References

{{Authority control Cities and towns in Nandyal district Company towns in India