Tourists, pilgrims throng Srisailam on New Year

New Year holiday crowds thronged Srisailam for blessings, revelry and boat-rides. With the ropeway to Patalganga now functional, crowds from Hyderabad headed for Srisailam. They spent time visiting Patalganga, the Akka Mahadevi caves and the botanical gardens, said tourism divisional manager Eswarayya.

A temple official said Srisailam has been attracting huge crowds for the past five days. Most crowds were from Hyderabad. “As we have dispensed with Sparsh Darshan and Abhishekams, the waiting time at the temple for darshan has drastically come down.” “On the night of December 31, about 50,000 tourists visited the temple town and we are expecting more on Sunday. Some 2,500 pilgrims from Maharashtra were stationed here for the past three days,” he said.

The beautiful sceneries of Nallamala forest at the Srisailam temple hills, with a change of climate, are attracting hordes of pilgrims. Tourists were pleasantly surprised with the cool breeze. They enjoyed cool weather and took a bath at Patalganga.

The Nallamala forests are a delight to nature lovers. The Srisailam temple is more popular among the Nallamala forest temples. It is renowned as Dhakshina Kasi (Varanasi of the South) and one among the 12 Jyotirlingas. Presiding deity Mallikarjuna Swamy and his consort Brahmaramba are worshiped there. The temple premises also have Sivalingas believed to have been installed by the Pandavas, a Triphala Vruksham believed to bestow babies to childless couples, River Saraswathi, the Mallika and Manoharagundas known as antarvahini, the Vrudda Mallikarjuna lingam and the Sahasra Lingeshwara believed to have been installed by Lord Rama and Sita.