Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga, Srisailam
- Stotram list
- No. 2
- Season
- Oct to Feb
- Railhead
- Markapur Road
- about 91 km
- Airport
- Hyderabad
- about 230 km
Official website: Srisaila Devasthanam (srisailadevasthanam.org)
The emblem here is our own drawing. The logo belongs to the trust, so we leave it on their site and keep this independent guide from being mistaken for it.
The map loads when it scrolls into view.
The story of Mallikarjuna
In the Nallamalla hills at Srisailam. The devasthanam counts it the 2nd of the twelve jyotirlingas and its Bhramaramba Devi temple the 6th of the 18 Maha Shakti Peethas, and calls Srisailam the only temple with both under one premises. Other names it gives for the hill are Srigiri, Sirigiri, Sriparvatam and Srinagam.
The devasthanam tells the name through the devotee Chandravati, daughter of Chandragupta. Pleased with her songs and dances, Shiva granted her a wish, and she offered a garland of jasmine (mallika) whose flowers never withered. Shiva tied it around his head, and from then on was called Mallikarjuna. The site also reads the name as the white Arjuna tree entwined with the jasmine creeper, and keeps a sculpture of Chandravati in worship near the Nagulagutta inside the temple.
The pairing of Shiva and Shakti in one complex is what the devasthanam puts first. Its history page records steps down to the Patalaganga laid by Vitalamba, the main hall built under Harihara II, the southern, eastern and western gopurams credited to Krishnadevaraya, and the northern gopuram ordered by Chhatrapati Shivaji, who it names a devotee of the temple.
- Devasthanam site, story and history sections, temple trust, read 19 Oct 2026. Read from the site's JavaScript bundle; the pages render no text without it.
Darshan at Mallikarjuna
Mallikarjuna is an active temple with a daily ritual schedule, not a monument. The free queue is the default: it costs nothing and on a normal weekday it moves well. Paid darshan, if the trust offers one, buys a shorter line rather than a different view of the linga. On festival days the paid line is often suspended entirely.
Aarti is the part worth planning around. Slots are limited, some are booked days ahead, and walk-ins are turned away once the hall is full.Data check pending
When the crowds arrive
Two periods are heavy at every one of the twelve: Mahashivratri and the month of Shravan. What is specific to Mallikarjuna is the part this site has not sourced yet.Data check pending
What Mahashivratri changes at all twelve →Where to stay
Three ways people stay at Mallikarjuna, cheapest and closest first.
What is around Mallikarjuna
Srisailam dam and tiger reserve nearby. Most visitors give the temple a few hours and leave the same day, which is a miss: the places worth half a day sit within a short drive, and going early or late avoids the crowd that arrives with the coaches.
- Patalaganga
- Umamaheshwaram
- Sangameshwaram
Rules and practicalities
Phones and cameras are not allowed inside the sanctum area at any of the twelve. Lockers and deposit counters sit at or near the gate.
Covered shoulders and knees are the safe default. Checked against each temple's own notice.Data check pending
Wheelchair access, the length of the barefoot stretch and the shoe stand are checked at the gate rather than assumed.Data check pending
Mallikarjuna on Mahashivratri and during Shravan runs on a different schedule with far longer queues. See the festival pages for what changes.
Sources for this temple: srisailadevasthanam.org. What each one covers, and the date it was read, is on the darshan and booking page.
Common questions about Mallikarjuna
What are the Mallikarjuna temple timings?
How do I reach Mallikarjuna?
Where should I stay near Mallikarjuna?
When is the best time to visit Mallikarjuna?
Also in the South group
The other temples in the South group, the srisailam forest and the island.
The South group: stations, airports and links to the other groups →