The belief that pilgrimages are only suitable for the elderly or devoted followers is a myth. A visit to a holy place is not just visiting temples but also feeling the power of spirituality. Such a journey with your family makes your pilgrimage tour even more fulfilling.
I appreciated this when I accompanied my family to Srisailam. The night before, we booked a reliable and affordable Hyderabad car rental service. The ride was at our doorway the coming morning as early as 6 AM.
We decided to stop at all the remarkable religious temples along the way to make this journey a sacred and memorable trip for all of us.
Planning the Trip
Srisailam is famous as a pilgrimage town and revered for hosting one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. The holy place of Srisailam is in the Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh, about 225 kilometers from Hyderabad city.
The total time to reach Srisailam by road is approximately 4-5 hours via NH 765 and SH 5. Our journey to the holy town was going to be a long one since we had plans to stop on the way to pay a visit to the historic temples.
We stopped for breakfast at a roadside Dhaba near Mannanur. A simple restaurant serving local vegetarian food. It is a great family-run place to freshen yourself with steaming hot coffee and idlis.
The Pilgrim’s Entrance
As we passed through Mannanur, the landscape view turned lush green, leaving the concrete outline of Hyderabad behind us. When the sun brightened up the day, the sky already started dazzling, which was a good sign.
Our first religious site was Uma Maheshwaram Temple. The temple is a bit far from the highway to Rangpur, a small village in Telangana.
This temple enshrines Lord Shiva, settled at the corner of the Nallamala Forest. It is one of the vital stopovers on the pathway to the Srisailam pilgrimage and is considered the gateway to the north of Srisailam.
The mound holding the ancient stone temple sits on a small hillock as if protecting the gods. We had to climb the mountain to reach the main temple.
After the hearty visit to this place, we headed to Mallela Theertham waterfall near Mallapur. Although there is no temple here, this waterfall has been mentioned in Indian mythology and is considered sacred. All pilgrims visiting Srisailam must visit this holy pool.
This waterfall injected by the Krishna River is the peak spot of Srisailam hills, giving this place an extraordinary charm. Our last stop before entering the city periphery of Srisailam was at the Sakshi Ganapati Temple.
Pilgrims going to Srisailam must visit this temple dedicated to Lord Ganesh to pray for happiness and luck. A heartfelt visit to this temple defines a successful pilgrimage.
We left with the best car hire in Hyderabad and took off from there. Reaching Srisailam to take a holy tour within the estimated time was truly a sign of the fruitful pilgrimage with the dear ones.
Although I have absorbed the energy of several religious places, I found divinity in the landscape of Srisailam, surrounded by the lush greenery of Srisailam Mountain, bordering the Krishna river, which turned the whole environment into paradise.