Srisailam

Srisailam is a town in the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh, India. Home to a Jyotirlinga (Hindu shrine to Shiva), it is about 245 km from Hyderabad and 132 km from Nandyal.

By bus or train
Srisailam is about 232 km from Hyderabad, the capital of Telangana, and there are buses connecting the town with Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Guntur, Markapur and Kurnool. For service from Hyderabad to Srisailam, tickets and reservations can be made at the Central Bus Station Hyderabad. The approximate travel time from Hyderabad to Srisailam is 6 hours. From Kurnool, it will take around 5 hours via Atmakur and Doranala. You can get Express buses every hour from 5AM to 11:30PM from Kurnool. For those who are planning from Chennai you can either go from Kurnool, Nellore or Tirupati. From Kurnool, there are many buses to Srisailam. You can reach Kurnool by Kachiguda express which starts from Chennai Egmore railway station. There is no railway station in Srisailam. From Tirupati also there are frequent buses which pass through Nellore. It is better to go to Nellore and catch the Srisailam bus from there.

By private vehicle/taxi
If hiring a private taxi, ensure that the driver has experience driving in ghat sections and doesn't have the habit of drinking alcohol. Mannanur, which is around 120 km from Hyderabad, is the place where the Nallamala hills start. After 60-70 km of driving through the forest, you'll reach Eegalapenta. From there, it becomes difficult to drive as there are numerous hairpin bends and a kilometre of the stretch has a lot of potholes. You can have a good look at the Srisailam Dam from there.

Get around
For nature lovers, the Srisailam trip leaves immense pleasure as you travel through deep forests. From Dornala to Srisailam you will find excellent views and the road is full of curves and U-turns.

Buy
You can buy pure Girijan (Tribal) honey, AGMARK-certified honey which is supplied by the government of Andhra Pradesh. It is regarded as very pure and tasty. You can get it at Chenchu Lakshmi Tribal Museum. Don't buy it elsewhere.

Eat
As a temple town, only vegetarian food is available. Delicious food varieties are available in the temple-run annadana satram (free kitchen) and restaurants along with street food. It is advised, for people to keep hydrated by eating food with high carbohydrates and drinking lots of water while on treks in the hills and camping in the forests.

Sleep
There are lots of budget hotels and lodges around the Mallikarjuna Swami Temple in Srisailam. Most of these do not require any prior reservation except during peak seasons and festivals, and most Mondays. The Andhra Pradesh Tourism Department runs a few hotels by the name Ganga Sadan, Gouri Sadan and Punnami Guest House. These are clean and well-maintained and are within the budget of most pilgrims. There are also some lodges and choultries that cater to particular communities.

Go next

 * Alampur
 * Mantralayam
 * Bagalkot