Srisailam is a

census town In India and some other countries, a census town is designated as a town that satisfies certain characteristics. India In India, a census town is one which is not statutorily notified and administered as a town, but nevertheless whose population ...

Nandyal district Nandyal district is a district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh with Nandyal as its administrative headquarters, it was formed on 4 April 2022 to become one of the resultant 26 districts. It is part of the Rayalaseema region. The district ...

of the

Indian state India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, for a total of 36 subnational entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into 800 districts and smaller administrative divisions by the respe ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

. It is the

mandal A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administrative c ...

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

Nandyal Nandyal, commonly called as Nandyala, is a city and the district headquarters of Nandyal district of the Indian state of the Andhra Pradesh. It is a Municipal corporation and the headquarters of Nandyal mandal in Nandyal revenue division. Dem ...

, from

Kurnool Kurnool is a city in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It formerly served as the capital of Andhra State (1953–1956). The city is often referred to as "The Gateway of Rayalaseema". Kurnool is also famous for Diamond hunting as diamonds ca ...

, and from

Vijayawada Vijayawada ( ), formerly known by its colonial name Bezawada, is the second largest city and a major commercial hub in the Andhra Pradesh state of India. The city forms an integral part of the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region and is situated on th ...

. The town is famous for the

Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga Mallikarjuna Swamy 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 Shaktism as this ...

Temple and is one of the holy pilgrimage sites for the

Shaivism Shaivism (, , ) is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Para Brahman, supreme being. It is the Hinduism#Demographics, second-largest Hindu sect after Vaishnavism, constituting about 385 million H ...

and

Shaktism Shaktism () is a major Hindu denomination in which the God in Hinduism, deity or metaphysics, metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically to be a woman. Shaktism involves a galaxy of goddesses, all regarded as different aspects, mani ...

sects of

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

. The town is classified as both a

Jyotirlinga A Jyotirlinga () or Jyotirlingam is a devotional representation of the Hindu god Shiva. The word is a Sanskrit compound of ('radiance') and ('sign'). The Śiva Mahāpurāṇam (also ''Shiva Purana'') mentions 64 original ''jyotirlinga'' ...

and a

Shakta pitha The Shakta pithas, also called Shakti pithas or Sati pithas (, , ''seats of Shakti''), are significant shrines and pilgrimage destinations in Shaktism, the mother goddess denomination in Hinduism. The shrines are dedicated to various forms of A ...

census of India The decennial census of India has been conducted 15 times, as of 2011. While it has been undertaken every 10 years, beginning in 1872 under Viceroy Lord Mayo, the first complete census was taken in 1872. Post 1949, it has been conducted by the R ...

, 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 th
popular tourist destinations
in

and considered one of the most important pilgrimage centres of

Lord Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hinduism. Shiva is known as ''The Destroyer' ...

. *

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

which was built over

Krishna River The Krishna River in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau is the third-longest in India, after the Ganga, Ganga and Godavari. It is also the fourth-largest in terms of water inflows and river basin area in India, after the Ganga, Indus and Godav ...

is one of the largest dams in South India. * Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve, 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 hu ...

, 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. *Sakshi Ganapati Temple- Sakshi Ganapathi temple is located 2 km east of the main temple. *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 The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (abbreviated as 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 Ne ...

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 A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonom ...

-owned

(APSRTC) operates frequent buses from Atmakur and Dornala and also from nearby places. The travel by road is not allowed to Shrishaila between 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. as roads are through Nallamala forests. 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 zone of the

Indian Railways Indian Railways is a state-owned enterprise that is organised as a departmental undertaking of the Ministry of Railways (India), Ministry of Railways of the Government of India and operates India's national railway system. , it manages the fou ...

. It is under the jurisdiction of

Guntur Railway Division Guntur railway division is one of the six divisions of the South Central 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 located about from Srisailam.

References

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