Places To Visit In And Around Srisailam

A road trip to Srisailam from Hyderabad is one of the most exciting trips as you got to travel through the ghat roads of Nallamala forest. Vehicles are not allowed to move from 9 p.m to 6 a.m to enable the wild / nocturnal animals move freely in their habitat without getting scarred / disturbed from the headlights and honking of vehicles. That's a wonderful / kind gesture towards the wild by the forest department.

Besides visiting the temple of Lord Mallikarjuna and Goddess Brahmarambica, there are some interesting places to visit in around the temple town. While driving on road, on the way there is Amrabad Tiger Reserve.

Nagarjunasagar - Srisailam and Amrabad Tiger Reserve

Before bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh into A.P and Telangana, it was Nagarjunasagar - Srisailam Tiger Reserve which is the largest Tiger Reserve of India. It is spread over five districts of Nalgonda and Mahboobnagar in Telangana and Kurnool, Prakasam and Guntur in Andhra Pradesh. Post bifurcation, the Tiger Reserve spread in the two districts of Telangana is renamed as Amrabad Tiger Reserve. The sanctuary in rich in wild life and is worth a visit for nature / animal lovers.

Sakshi Ganapati Temple

This is one of the must-visit temples near Srisailam. Either during onward journey or return journey after Srisailam temple visit, devotees are supposed to visit Sakshi Ganapati temple who is the witness for our visit to the Holy shrine of Jyotirlinga. The idol of Ganapati in this temple is seen with a book in His hand and it is said that He registers the names of the devotees who visit the holy pilgrim place. Hence, He is known as Sakshi (witness) Ganapati.

There is a belief that devotees should stay overnight at Srisailam.

Phaladhara Panchadhara

Phaladhara Panchadhara is one of the most popular attractions near Srisailam. The captivating beauty of nature with greenery, rocks and waterfalls all around the valley is worth watching. At this place Adi Shankaracharya meditated and composed the great works Shivananda Lahari and Soundarya Lahari.

Chenchu Lakshmi Tribal Museum

Chenchu Lakshmi Tribal Museum is one of the best attractions in Srisailam. The museum offers a glimpse of the tribal life and culture with life-size statues of different tribes of India. You will really enjoy seeing the eco-friendly way of living, pollution-free / tension-free life of the tribal people and the way they live in communion with nature which lacks in the concrete jungles of the so-called civilized urban areas.

Mallamma Kanneru temple

Hemareddy Mallamma temple is a small reconstructed temple. There is a legend in connection with Mallamma a tribal woman who couldn't stop her happiness on seeing Lord Mallanna. Hence, there is continuous flow of tears from her eyes. In the temple, there is an idol of Mallamma and beside her there is a rocky hole where from there is continuous flow of water. This is a calm place with very less visitors. From here you can walk on the rocky watery way to reach Bheemunipadalau i.e the foot impression of Bheema (the Pandava Prince). However there is no historical evidence whether this foot impression is actually of Bheema or not.
Historians or archeologists can visit the place for research purpose. And from here at a walkable distance, there is a small stony cave temple known as Go Garbham with small openings at two sides.
Frankly speaking, these places are not visited by many and are also not worth a visit.

Ishtakameswari temple

This is one of the most visited temples near Srisailam. The temple is dedicated to Goddess Parvati who is in the form of Kameswari Devi. This is a very ancient temple of the 8th -9th century C.E (Current Era) and is located in the mid of the dense forest. Tourists cannot go in their own vehicles but there are military vans that depart at a specified time, at around 10-10.30 a.m. The route is rocky and bumpy too but is a bit adventurous and enjoyable too.

This is one of the must-see temples near Srisailam.

Hatakeswara temple

This is yet another important temple to visit near Srisailam. The ancient temple dates back to 11th - 12th century C.E. It is believed that pilgrims who visit the temple will get rid of their chronic diseases.

Akka Mahadevi Caves

It would be a wonderful experience for adventure lovers to have a boat ride in Krishna river with forests and rocky hills all around, to reach Akka Mahadevi caves. It's dark inside the caves, you can see visitors enjoying a walk through the caves with torch in their hands to reach Shiva Lingam inside the caves where Akka Mahadevi is believed to worship Lord Shiva.

Kadalivanam Caves

To reach Kadalivanam caves, tourists have to walk around 12 Km from Akka Mahadevi Caves. This is one of the most serene places and it is believed that Sri Gurudatta (Sri Nrusimha Saraswati - the 2nd incarnation of Sri Gurudatta) resides in this Kadalivanam.

Pathala Ganga

This is actually the backwaters of River Krishna in a valley at the lowest point. Hence the name 'pathala' which means (deep) and 'ganga' is the general term used for rivers in India. There are cable cars / rope ways to reach the point. There are also steps, around 500, to walk down to 'pathala ganga'. Tourism Dept is organizing boat rides in 'pathala ganga'. There are also special round shaped typical local made boats to ride in the river waters.

Srisailam Dam

The beautiful view of Srisailam Dam from various view points enroute Hyderabad-Srisailam is awesome. Most of the travellers halt at various view points on the way, spend some time enjoying the beauty of nature, particularly during rainy season when the dam gates open.
And the view of the road bridge connecting two mountains. Travellers has to drive through the road bridge to reach Srisailam.