Srisailam temple has no barriers

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Srisailam temple has no barriers

 

 

 

Prayers without ablutions are considered a sin. Entry into the sanctum sanctorum

of a temple is even worse. But not at Srisailam. At the famous pilgrim centre,

about 200 km from Hyderabad, devotees follow an interesting tradition. It is

called the Dhooli Darshanam in which devotees enter the temple without

performing any ablutions or taking the traditional bath. Anyone, irrespective

of caste or creed, can enter the sanctum sanctorum and touch the Shiva Lingam

there. It signifies that the Lord does not judge a devotee by his physical

impurities but by his intrinsic spirituality. However, many pilgrims do bathe

in the Patalaganga, where the Krishna river flows, about three km from

Mallikarjuna temple. Steps lead to the valley from the temple.

Situated on top of a hill in the Nallamala forests of Kurnool district,

Srisailam is the destination of millions of devotees. The temple deity here is

Sri Bhramarambika Mallikarjuna. There is an interesting legend on how the

place got its name. Arjuna, the third of the five Pandavas, had offered penance

to Lord Shiva at this spot. He had offered prayers to the Swayambhu Linga (a

linga that had created itself) with jasmine (mallika) flowers, hence the deity

is called Mallikarjuna. The sthalapuranam (history of the site as narrated by

the temple priest) also states that "a princess called Chandravati, daughter of

king Chandragupta, used to offer two jasmine garlands everyday to the Lord in

Srisailam. Chandravati eventually married him."

To the right of the main temple is the Vriddha Mallikarjuna Shiva linga, where

the original Shiva Linga is installed. It is believed that the linga was

installed in seventh century AD. There are five lingas in the inner courtyard,

said to have been installed by the Pandavas. Behind the main temple is the

temple of Parvati who, as Bhramarambika, is said to have assumed the form of a

bee to kill the demon Mahishasura. If one presses his ear to a tiny hole to the

rear of the sanctum, he will be able to hear the buzzing of a bee.

The records preserved in the temple, however, do not take us back earlier than

the 14th century AD. The inscription engraved during the reign of Prataparudra,

the Kakatiya king who ruled from Warangal, is the earliest found inside the

temple. However, according to the earliest written records available, a

Chalukyan prince called Trailokya had visited the temple in 1058 AD. The

Vijayanagara kings greatly improved the temple. The famous king Krishnadevaraya

also built a row of houses called the car-street. "A stone carving that depicted

Vijayanagara king Achyutaraya and his consorts is still to be found inside the

temple," says Vijay Kumar, assistant director of archaeology whose jurisdiction

covers Anantapur and Kurnool districts.

According to the book Temples and Legends of Andhra Pradesh by N. Ramesan,

Srisailam has been an important destination for spirituality seekers even in

the Buddhist period. Chinese pilgrims Fa-Hien and Hieun Tsang, too, have made

references to Sri Parvatha Hill, which was what Srisailam was known as then.

The famous Rathotsav (chariot festival) of Lord Mallikarjuna takes place in

February every year on the occasion of Mahashivaratri. At least four lakh

devotees gather to have a darshan of the Lord.

"There was a period when there was no road to the temple. Thousands of pilgrims

used to trek up the hills overcoming their fear of attacks by wild animals of

the Nallamalai forest," J. Harinath, a history lecturer, said. However, today

the forests have become the haven for the Maoists. Providing security for any

event is a challenge for the local police authorities.

courtesy:Deccan.com

Regards

Prasanna kumar

[Guest guest]

transparent"> Srisailam temple has no barriers

Roman"> Prayers without

ablutions are considered a sin. Entry into the sanctum sanctorum of a temple is

even worse. But not at Srisailam. At the famous pilgrim centre, about 200 km

from Hyderabad, devotees follow an interesting tradition. It is called the

Dhooli Darshanam in which devotees enter the temple without performing any

ablutions or taking the traditional bath. Anyone, irrespective of caste or

creed, can enter the sanctum sanctorum and touch the Shiva Lingam there. It

signifies that

the Lord does not judge a devotee by his physical impurities but by his

intrinsic spirituality. However, many pilgrims do bathe in the Patalaganga,

where the Krishna river flows, about three km from Mallikarjuna temple. Steps

lead to the valley from the temple. Situated on top of a hill in the Nallamala

forests of Kurnool district, Srisailam is the destination of millions of

devotees. The temple deity here is Sri Bhramarambika Mallikarjuna. There is an

interesting legend on how the place got its name. Arjuna, the third of the five

Pandavas, had offered penance to Lord Shiva at this spot. He had offered

prayers to the Swayambhu Linga (a linga that had created itself) with jasmine

(mallika) flowers, hence the deity is called Mallikarjuna. The sthalapuranam

(history of the site as narrated by the temple priest) also states that "a

princess called Chandravati, daughter of king Chandragupta, used to offer two

jasmine garlands everyday to the Lord in Srisailam. Chandravati eventually

married him." To the right of the main temple is the Vriddha Mallikarjuna

Shiva linga, where the original Shiva Linga is installed. It is believed that

the linga was installed in seventh century AD. There are five lingas in the

inner courtyard, said to have been installed by the Pandavas. Behind the main

temple is the temple of Parvati who, as Bhramarambika, is said to have assumed

the form of a bee to kill the demon Mahishasura. If one presses his ear to a

tiny hole to the rear of the sanctum, he will be able to hear the buzzing of a

bee. The records preserved in the temple, however, do not take us back earlier

than the 14th century AD. The inscription engraved during the reign of

Prataparudra, the Kakatiya king who ruled from Warangal, is the earliest found

inside the

temple. However, according to the earliest written records available, a

Chalukyan prince called Trailokya had visited the temple in 1058 AD. The

Vijayanagara kings greatly improved the temple. The famous king Krishnadevaraya

also built a row of houses called the car-street. "A stone carving that depicted

Vijayanagara king Achyutaraya and his consorts is still to be found inside the

temple," says Vijay Kumar, assistant director of archaeology whose jurisdiction

covers Anantapur and Kurnool districts. According to the book Temples and

Legends of Andhra Pradesh by N. Ramesan, Srisailam has been an important

destination for spirituality seekers even in the Buddhist period. Chinese

pilgrims Fa-Hien and Hieun Tsang, too, have made references to Sri Parvatha

Hill, which was what Srisailam was known as then. The famous Rathotsav (chariot

festival) of Lord Mallikarjuna takes place in February every year on the

occasion

of Mahashivaratri. At least four lakh devotees gather to have a darshan of the

Lord. "There was a period when there was no road to the temple. Thousands of

pilgrims used to trek up the hills overcoming their fear of attacks by wild

animals of the Nallamalai forest," J. Harinath, a history lecturer, said.

However, today the forests have become the haven for the Maoists. Providing

security for any event is a challenge for the local police authorities.

courtesy:Deccan.com Regards Prasanna kumar

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