Best time to visit : November to March
A lovely hill town, Srisailam is located on the southern banks of the River Krishna in Andhra Pradesh. This naturally beautiful town is adorned with many ancient temples. Amongst many tourist places in South India, Srisailam is preferred for its majestic hills and lovely diversity of wildlife. From the hills, one can enjoy the splendid aerial view of the town and its surroundings. The highest point of the town is Sikharam offering pleasant views. The artificial Srisailam Dam, 512 m. long, is constructed across Krishna River and the Srisailam Wildlife Sanctuary stands nearby has grand biodiversity. The town is frequented by tourists owing to the Bhramaramba Mallikarjunaswamy Temple that is one of the 12 Jyotirlinga temples in the country. This travel guide further highlights many more details about this town.
Facts
Tucked in the lap of the Nallamala Hills of Kurnool District, Srisailam stands at an altitude of 1500 ft. above sea level. An important piece of tourist information is that the popular weekend getaway lies at proximity to major cities like Hyderabad (about 213 km.), Vijayawada (about 266 km.) and Kurnool (about 180 km.). The dense Nallamala forest range with a plethora of flora and fauna is very close to the Srisailam Hills. These spectacular green forested stretches are very popular for hill climbing, adventurous trekking, forest exploration and research. Also known as Mantharaparvata, Sriparvata and Srigiri, Srisailam is referred to as Sri Parvata (the blessed hill) in the epic Mahabharata. This spiritual place is known to be the seat of the Ashtadasa Mahasakthi Pithas or the eighteen Sakthi-peethas.
Srisailam is a pious temple town, thus the eateries serve only vegetarian food. The ‘bhogs’ offered in the temple come in delicious varieties and are prepared in annadana satram. The roadside restaurants offer sumptuous snacks and street food. Smoking and drinking are strictly prohibited in this town. Our tourist guide suggests keeping the body well hydrated with high carb foods and lots of water during trekking and camping.
There are not many shops in Srisailam, only retail ones that offer all the basic necessities. Tourists usually never miss to buy the pure and tasty Girijan (tribal) honey. It is recommended to buy one with AGMARK certification by the Andhra Pradesh Government from Chenchu Lakshmi Tribal Museum.
Nearby Places:
- Hyderabad (about 213 km.): To reach this city by road from Srisailam, it takes around 3 hours 40 minutes. Almost 500 years old, this capital city of Andhra Pradesh is situated atop the Deccan Plateau. The historical old city features masterpieces like Charminar and the Mecca Masjid.
- Vijayawada (about 266 km.): Around 5 hours of drive from Srisailam will take you to Vijayawada, one of the largest cities of South India. This scenic city has many renowned places of interest like Kanaka Durga Temple, Bhavani Island, Kondapalli Fort, Prakasam Barrage, Undavalli Caves, Sri Nagarala Sri Maha Lakshmi Ammavaru Temple and so on.
- Kurnool (about 180 km.): It takes about 3 hours 51 minutes to reach Kurnool from Srisailam. The beautiful city is known for its array of temples, cleanliness and ancient monuments. Some of the prominent temples in Kurnool are Nagareswarswami Temple, Peta Anjanyeswami Temple, Venugopalsawami Temple, and Shirdi Sai Baba Temple.