My Journey to 6 out of 12 Jyothirlingas

How it started
When the idea first struck me and my friend Murthy.. we were surprised that we both readily agreed to visit all 12 Jyothirlingas in this year 2010. We actually wanted to visit the forests of Nalla Malla and the Srisailam Temple and got hooked to the idea of visiting the other 11 Jyothirlingas and see where and how they are placed. After visiting the 6 Jyothirlingas, I can confirm that our idea was indeed a good one for the year.

In January we visited Srisailam and this month in February we visited the 5 Jyothirlingas in and around MP and Maharashtra.
To find the quickest way to plan a journey is not always easy. Here I share how we actually went around these 6 holiest of Hindu places.

Srisailam - Mallikarjuna Swamy Jyothirlingam - The 2nd Jyothirlingam of the 12

It was easy for me, as I hail from Hyderabad I just had to get into my car and drive up the hills of Srisailam. It is about 245 kms from Hyderabad city and takes about 6 hours to get there.

Please remember enroute there is a stretch of about 65kms through the Nalla Malla forest which is a protected area and no vehicles will be allowed to pass through the gates at the entry point after 9pm daily. All vehicles that enter will have to sign at both entry and exit gates.

For visitors coming from other locations can hire a car in Hyderabad and take the route from the new airport. Also, there are buses from Hyderabad run by the AP State RTC.

We booked into the AP Tourism guest house which is fairly clean for a stay and wash. Also, there are guest houses by some industries such a Satyam and others that can be rented from the Temple admin office.

We had a good guide there who helped us get quick darshan and abishek of the Mallikarjuna Swamy's Jyothirling. Afterwhich, we visited the Sanctum of Bhramarambika Devi (Shakti Peetam) which is within the structure of Srisailam temple.

Other sites to visit around Srisailam
Akkamadevi Caves
Also, close to the temple is a ropeway that takes pilgrims down to River Krishna's water held at the dam. From there one can take a boat to the nearby Akkamadevi caves for a tour of one of the oldest caves in India.
Ishta Kaameshwari Temple
Another great experience near Srisailam would be a visit to Ishta Kaameshwari temple. This temple is about 10kms into the dense forest only accessible by Jeeps that are driven by locals. This ride is really tough and not for faint hearted. Whoever visited this temple will remember the journey for a long time.
Panchamatam (Where Pandavas stayed and built Shiva temples)
Out of these five temples, two can be seen by a short drive. One of them was renovated recently and the other is still a relic. The other three are deeper into the forest.

Tips
Food is not easily available around the temple or enroute. It is advisable to carry some snacks for the journey. For meat eaters who would like to venture into the unknown, there is a town near Egalapenta where one can order in one of those little Dhaba's where the food is prepared upon order. Usually pilgrims order food on way to the temple for next day's lunch on the way back.

Good Period to visit - Either during or soon after the Monsoon where one can see the gates of the dam open. Also anytime between Oct to Feb is good as the climate is most pleasant.