Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga

Darshan and aarti timings

This is from the Andhra Pradesh Endowments Department’s temple portal, its list for "regular" days (not every row is given; the goddess’s aarti and the abhishekam times are there too). The devasthanam’s main website was down for maintenance that day. AP Tourism gives other hours (5:30 AM–1 PM, 6–10 PM).

Source: tms.ap.gov.in·Checked: 5 October 2026·Times can change; check the official source before you go.

The story of Mallikarjuna: Kartikeya and Mount Krauncha

According to the Shiva Purana (Kotirudra Samhita, chapter 15), Kumara Kartikeya heard from Narada of Ganesha’s marriage and left for Mount Krauncha though his parents forbade it. The gods and sages Shiva sent could not bring him back. When Shiva and Parvati came themselves, Kumara moved further away.

Shiva and Parvati then stayed there in the form of light. The Purana says Shiva visits his son on Amavasya and Parvati on Purnima, and that this linga became famous as Mallikarjuna. This chapter names the place Mount Krauncha; the Purana’s list of the twelve (Kotirudra Samhita 1.21) places Mallikarjuna on Shrishaila.

The temple’s own traditions and history

The Andhra Pradesh Endowments Department’s page gives the temple’s own legends: Princess Chandravati saw a cow pouring its milk on a self-born linga and offered it jasmine (mallika), which gave the name Mallikarjuna; and the primal goddess took the form of a bee (bhramara) to slay Arunasura and stayed here as Bhramaramba.

According to the same department, the earliest mention of the hill is in Pulumavi’s Nasik inscription of the 2nd century AD; the time of the Reddi kings (1325–1448) is held to be the temple’s golden age, Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagara visited in 1516, and since 1949 the temple has been under the Endowments Department.

How to reach Mallikarjuna

• Rail: the nearest station is Markapur (Guntur–Hubli line), 91 km (Srisaila Devasthanam).
• Airport: Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad, 230 km (Srisaila Devasthanam).
• Road: 180 km from Kurnool, 220 km from Hyderabad, 272 km from Vijayawada. The forest gates on the way (Dornala, Sikharam, Mannanur, Domalapenta) are closed every night from 9 PM to 6 AM (Srisaila Devasthanam).

Main festivals

Where the sources differ

• The story: the Shiva Purana tells the story of Kartikeya and Mount Krauncha, while the temple’s own tradition (the AP Endowments Department’s page) tells of Chandravati and the jasmine, of Bhramaramba and Arunasura, and of Chenchu Mallayya.
• Shakti Peetha: the devasthanam and the Endowments Department count the shrine of Bhramaramba among the 18 Maha Shakti Peethas. The Pithanirnaya list of 51 has two separate names, "Shrishaila" and "Shriparvata"; D. C. Sircar takes Shriparvata to be this Shrishaila but places the "Shrishaila" peetha near Sylhet (Bangladesh) (see the 51 Shakti Peethas).
• District: the devasthanam’s address still reads "Kurnool district", while the Nandyal district government site lists Srisailam mandal as part of Nandyal.

Frequently asked questions