ஸ்ரீசைலம் மல்லிகார்ஜுனர் கோயில்Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple, Srisailam

Sthala Mahātmyam

Mallikarjuna Swamy at Srisailam, set on the Nallamala hills above the Krishna river, is unique as both a Jyotirlinga of Shiva and a Shakti Pitha of the goddess Bhramaramba, his consort. Shiva is worshipped as Mallikarjuna, a name explained by legend in which Parvati appears as Mallika (jasmine) and Shiva as Arjuna, united here. The chief sthala legend tells of Kartikeya (Murugan), who, angered when Ganesha was married before him, withdrew to Mount Krauncha; to pacify their son, Shiva and Parvati followed him and settled on the hill, manifesting as Mallikarjuna. Revered as the Kailasa of the South, the shrine is glorified in Shaiva tradition and by Adi Shankara's Sivananda Lahari. The seven-day Maha Shivaratri Brahmotsavam is the principal festival, while Ugadi, Dasara (Devi Sharannavaratri), Kumbhotsavam, Sankranti and the Karthika masam observances also draw great crowds to this hilltop pilgrimage centre sacred to both Shaivas and Shaktas.