Srisailam - Mantralayam

Srisailam, also known as Sriparvata is situated in the Rishabgiri Hills on the southern banks of the river Krishna, in the Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh.  Mention of Srisailam as Sriparvata has been made in the epic "Mahabharata".  Srisailam is famous for the Mallikarjunaswamy Temple, one of the 12 Jyotirlingas in the country.

Mantralayam is situated on the banks of the River Tungabhadra in Kurnool District.  Brindavan - the 'Samadhi' of Sri Raghavendraswamy located here, attracts lakhs of pilgrims.  The Sanskrit Vidyapeeth at Mantralayam conducts a 12 years course, on completion of which, the pupil is conferred the title of "Vedanta Shiromani".

SRISAILAM

PLACES OF INTEREST

Hatakeswaram: It is here a small shrine dedicated to  Sri Adi Sankaracharya .  Pathala Ganga : The flow of the river Krishna at this place is considered to be very steep in the deep valley. Sakshi Ganapati: The temple is situated on the way to the Mallikarjunaswamy Temple. Sikharam : It is the highest peak (2835 ft) of the Srisailam hills. Sri Bhramaramba Mallikarjunaswamy Temple:The temple is dedicated to Lord Mallikarjuna (Shiva), who is represented in the form of a linga. This temple is one of the 12 'Jyotirlingas' in India. 

EXCURSIONS

Dindi Reservoir (64 Km.): Enroute to Hyderabad, it is a good picnic spot. Kurnool (180 Km.): Kurnool, the former capital of Andhra Pradesh is an important commercial centre, situated at the confluence of the Tungabhadra and Handi rivers. Ahobilam in Kurnool District is the only place in India where Lord Vishnu is worshipped in all his nine aspects. Nagarjunasagar (180 Km.): Nagarjunasagar named after the Buddhist saint Acharya Nagarjuna has relics of Buddhist civilisation dating back to the 3rd century AD. Alampur (207 Km.): Situated on the banks of the river Tungabhadra, 27 Km. from Kurnool, Alampur is a beautiful temple town. The presiding deity is Balabrameshwara (Shiva) and the goddess Yogini or Jogulamba who is revered as one of the eighteen shaktis in India.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Temperature    :  Summer    Max: 38 Deg.C.    Min: 30 Deg.C.
           Winter    Max: 26 Deg.C.    Min: 20 Deg.C.
Season    :  September to February.        STD Code    :  08524.

TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATION

Air:      The nearest airport is  Hyderabad 232 Km. which is connected by Indian Airlines
             and Private Airlines with major cities.
             Fare : Mumbai - Hyderabad : Rs.4510/-(Y)  Rs.6455/-(J)
Rail:    The nearest railhead is Markapur Road (116 Km.) on the Guntur-Hubli metre
            gauge line. Nandyal (158 Km.) and Kurnool (180 Km.) on the same line are also
            convenient  railheads. However, the most convenient railhead is Hyderabad  232
            Km.  Fare :Mumbai-Hyderabad:II A/c:Rs.1260/-; II class: Rs.297/-
Road:  Motorable roads connect Srisailam with Anantpur 325 Km., Bangalore 538 Km.,
            Chennai 568 Km., Hyderabad 232 Km., Kurnool 180 Km., Mumbai 971 Km.,
            Nagarjunasagar 180 Km., Nandyal 158 Km., Tirupati 436 Km., Vijaywada 248
            Km., Visakhapatnam 614 Km.

CONDUCTED TOURS

The Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation operates package tours from Hyderabad to Srisailam Four times a week. The tour leaves Hyderabad on every Wed, Fri, Sat and Sunday.  Dep: 0900 hrs. and returns on 2nd Day at 2000 hrs. Fare :  Rs. 550/- (Adult) & Rs. 440/- (Child).

ACCOMMODATION

Punnami- Hotel (APTDC), Tel:288311(Tariff: A/c Rs.200-350/-).
Ganga Sadan/ Gowri Sadan, Tel:287369(Tariff: Rs.350-500/- & Dorm. Rs. 50/- per bed).
Devasthanam Cottages and choultries, Tariff: Rs. 150 -250/-.
Reservations :  The Executive Officer, Srisailam Devasthanam, Srisailam - 518101.
Saila Vihar Tourist Rest House, Reservations : The District PRO, Kurnool.
Karnataka Guest House, Zilla Parishad Guest House, TTD Choultry.
The following accommodation is also available for pilgrims of various  sects only :-
All India Arya Vysya Choultry (100 rooms), Veerasaiva (Lingayat) Choultry (40 rooms), Veerasaiva Saravana Basaweswara Choultry (20 rooms), Karivena Brahmin Choultry (20 rooms), Srowtha Saiva Choultry(10 rooms), Sri Jagatguru Vageesa Panditharadhya Matham Choultry(50 rooms), The Viswa Brahmin Choultry(10 rooms), Sri Jagadguru Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham Matham, Sri Jagadguru Sringeri Peetham Matham.

MANTRALAYAM

Mantralayam can be approached by road from Hyderabad (256 Km.), the nearest airport and Mantralaym Road(14 Km.) the nearest railway station, Mantralayam is also connected by road with Anantpur 151 Km., Bangalore 429 Km., Chennai 541 Km., Raichur 45 Km., Tirupati 409 Km., and Warangal 397 Km..

CONDUCTED TOURS

1.  The APTDC organises tours from Hyderabad to Mantralayam.  The tour leaves Hyderabad every Wed & Sat at 0900 hrs and returns on 2nd Day at 2000 hrs. Fare: Rs.550/- (Adult) and Rs.440/- (Child).  Resvns: APTDC Ltd., Tank Bund Road, Adjacent to Lumbini Park, Hyderabad - 500 004, Tel: (040) 23453036. 2.The KSTDC organises tours from Bangalore to Mantralayam.  The tour leaves Bangalore every Fri at 2000 hrs and returns on Sun at 2230 hrs. (3rd Day). Fare: Rs.810/- (Inclusive of accommodation). Places covered Sri Raghavendra Swamy Temple, Tungabhadra Dam and Hampi).

ACCOMMODATION 

Punnami-Hotel (APTDC), Tel: (08512) 279463, Fax: 279723(Tariff: A/c Rs.450-750/- , Non A/c Rs.250/- &  Dorm. Rs.50/-) ; Cottages and Choultries of the Sri Raghavendra Swamy Mutt are also available at nominal charges. Resvn: Manager, Sri Raghavendra Swamy Mutt, Mantralyam - 2518345. Tel: (08512) 259429.

TOURIST INFORMATION CENTRES

APTDC Ltd.,Tank Bund Road,  Adjacent to Lumbini Park, Hyderabad- 500 063. Tel : (040) 23453036, Fax : (040) 23453086. E-mail: apttdc@satyam.net.in.
Tourist Information Centre, Govt. of A.P., D.N. Road, Mumbai. Tel: 22072245.
KSTDC, 10/4 Kasturba Road, Bangalore - 560 001, Tel: 2212901-3.
KSTDC, World Trade Centre, Cuffe Parade, Mumbai. : Tel : 22181658.