Srisailam Mallikarjuna Temple Budget Trip
Are you planning to visit Srisailam for Lord Shiva’s Jyotirling’s darshan? This post will help you plan the trip and will give you details like when to visit, where to stay, how to travel etc. Keep reading…
Warning: Smoking is banned in Srisailam, a fine of Rs.5000/ will be imposed if caught smoking.
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Table of Contents
- Srisailam Mallikarjuna Temple Budget Trip
Significance of Srisailam Mallikarjuna Temple
Srisailam is among the 12 jyotrilingas where Lord Shiva and mata Parvati resides as Arjuna and Mallika. The jyotrilingas have great significance in Hindu religion.
Where is Srisailam temple?
Srisailam temple is located on top of a hill in the southern state of India named Telangana (earstwhile Andhrapradesh). Its around 6hrs drive from Hyderabad. The roads are very good.
Srisailam darshan
There are 3 types of paid darshan, should be booked online in advance:
- Free Darshan: You do not have to book or pay for this. There are specific slots when you will be allowed for darshan else you will have to sit in a room till the slot opens. It may take hours to get darshan and I have heard the darshan is from a distance that you will not be able to even see the Jyotirling.
- Seeghra Darshanam: You will have to pre book this and cost is Rs.150/-, not allowed to touch shivling.
- Alankar/ Ati seeghra Darshan: Here you will have to pre-book by paying Rs.300. Not allowed to touch shivling.
- Sparsh Darshan: You need to pre book it and are allowed to touch shivling.
There are proper markings and sign boards at places to guide you in the respective queues.
For paid darshan, you need to carry the print out (mobile not allowed in temple, you will have to deposit it at locker by paying a fee). The QR code is scanned before you are allowed entry in the queue and its checked multiple times at various points. You will have to submit the print out at the last point.
Mallikarjuna Temple Dress code
You need to be in Indian attair for darshan. In case you have booked Sparsh darshan, Dhoti is mandatory (even though while booking, it says kurta pajama is allowed). Males will be asked to remove their shirts before the sparsh darshan.
Ladies need to wear sari for sparsh darshan. For other types of darshan, only indian attire is fine.
The sevadar’s keep an eye on your attire and will ask you to leave if you are not dressed appropriately.
Note: You can buy simple dhoti for approx. Rs.200/- and dhoti with pocket and adhesive (velcro tape) is available for around Rs.500/-
Check out different types of Dhoti's allowed in Srisailam
How to reach Srisailam?
Srisailam is well connected by raod. To shortan your journey, you can travel by air or railways till the nearest city and from there take a bus/car till Srisailam.
How to reach Srisailam by train?
You can reach Hyderabad by train which is well connected to all major cities in India. From Hyderabad, you need to reach MG Bus Depot (Mahatma Gandhi Bus Depot).
There is a Metro station as well named MG Depot but its not very close to the bus depot. So if you don’t want to walk, better take an auto from the station.
Note: Local auto drivers will charge you more, better book an Uber. Rapido (auto and bike) gives the best rate in Hyderabad and is widely used.
How to reach Srisailam by air?
You can reach Hyderabad International airport from any part of India and hire a car till Srisailam or reach MG Bus Depot to get a bus.
How to reach Srisailam by road?
You can either drive your own car or get a bus from MG Bus Depot in Hyderabad. The frequency is almost 30min in the morning.
You can also get bus from Bangalore or other nearby cities to Srisailam, but frequency may be less.
Where to stay in Srisailam?
There are many stay options in Srisailam provided by both private operators or Srisailam Trust.
In case you want to stay in the accomodation provided by Srisailam trust, you need to book accomodation around 1month in advance on their website (if you try before 1 month, you will get message- room not available).
Types of accomodation provided by Srisailam trust
You can book a single bed in dormatory or book a room for family. Once you reach Srisailam, you need to visit trust office (opposit to where bus will drop you) to know which room is allocated to you.
The trust have agreement with many private/Government properties where they have leased few rooms. You may be allocated any room among the available properties.
Following table gives details about the stay:
| Type of room | Cost | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Dormatory bed | Rs.300 per bed for 12 hrs | AC is swithed on in the evening till early morning. Common washroom |
| Room for 2 | Rs.900-1200 | Checkout time is around 9-11am. Attached washroom |
| VIP room for 3 | Rs.1200 including tax | Though it says 3 persons room, Only 2beds provided, no extra mattress or pillow will be provided. |
Note: For rooms, you will have to give a refundable deposit equal to room cost. At checkout, the caretaker will sign the receipt and you need to claim it from the Trust office.
My experience of staying in VIP room at Srisailam
We were a group of 3 guys hence we booked a vip room as other room could accomodate only 2 ( contacting trust office on phone for any clarification is a night mare, you will have to personally visit them for any query)
On the website, it showed the distance of just 700m from the main temple but we got a room in Railways Guest house that was around 2km from main temple.
Once we visited the room, the room was big enough, it had few chairs but most importantly only 2 single beds joined together. There was only 2pillow and when we asked the care taker for extra mattress and pillow, he bluntly declined.
One of my friends asked how are 3 fully grown males supposed to sleep on two beds, he said better raise it with the trust.
We did raise it at the Trust office but the same reply, No extra mattress or pillow!!
Apart from this issue, other things were good about the room. It was big enough with powerful AC (no remote to control, so you are stuck with the temprature set) .
Thh washroom was big and had hot water supply, western comode, bucket, mug, wash basin.
Note: You need to carry your own soap, towels, paste etc. Nothing is provided here, infact its the case with all the religious stays.
Food options in Srisailam
Srisailam is a religious place, so only Veg food is available here. There are many vendors selling south indian dishes like Dosa, Bonda, Vada, Uttapa, rice dal etc.
You can also avail free prasadam at the temple. The timings are between 11am-3pm. You will have to stand in a queue that leads to multiple prasadam halls.
The queue moves quickly. Here you will be served with Rice, chutney, dal and curd.
Places to visit near Srisailam
Once you reach Srisailam, a lot of auto drivers will flock you offering to take you to 5 temples around Srisailam. You can either book full auto ( Rs.800/-) or sharing basis for Rs.150/-
The trip will take around 1.5hrs to 2hrs and auto will drop you at the pick up point.
Note: We bargained full auto for Rs.500 on a Monday. Better complete this trip before sunset as some of the temples may close after 6pm.
FAQ’s:
How much is Srisailam bus stand to MallikArjun Temple distance?
The point where the bus drops is around 500m from the Mallikarjun temple. The bus depot (where you can get bus back to Hyderabad) is around 1km from the temple.
How much is bus fare from Hyderabad to Srisailam?
The government bus run by TSRTC will charge you Rs.500/- for one way journey from Hyderabad to Srisailam. Cost of journey from Srisailam to Hyderabad is same.
Do I have to stay overnight for Srisailam darshan?
Most of the local devotees complete Srisailam darshan in 1day itself. They start early, book their darshan tickets and return back same day.
Do note that during holidays, festivals and Mondays you may find huge crowd.
The road to Srisailam pass through forest area, so if you find yourself at forest gate at 9pm, your vechile will be stopped and you will be given entry only after 6am. the next day
Is Mobile allowed in Srisailam temple?
Yes, mobile is allowed in Srisailam temple but you will have to deposit it at mobile counter before going for darshan (paid service).
Conclusion:
While visiting any religious place, do expect huge crowed. Better avoid weekends, Monday, festival days while visiting Srisailam in case you are not ok with long queues (even for paid darshan)
Do pre book rooms if you plan to stay else it may be difficult to get one if its weekend or festival days. Also, if you are not ok with standing in queue for free darshan, make sure you book in advance.
