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Srisailam Shivaratri: the eleven-day Brahmotsavam at Mallikarjuna
A hill in the tiger forest that stays awake all night for Shiva
The Maha Shivaratri Brahmotsavam at Srisailam is the eleven-day great festival of the Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna temple in Andhra Pradesh, one of Shiva's twelve jyotirlingas and a shakti peetha of the Goddess on the same hill above the Krishna. It runs from about a week before Maha Shivaratri to three days after it, and its peak is the all-night Shivaratri. Dates: 27 February – 9 March 2027. During the festival the temple changes its darshan rules, and the road from Hyderabad crosses a tiger reserve, so both need planning.
The Srisailam Devasthanam announces the schedule a few weeks ahead; Maha Shivaratri itself is in the Andhra Pradesh holiday list.
The legend
Legend says Shiva and Parvati married Ganesha off first. Kartikeya came back, took offence and went to live alone on Mount Krauncha.
His parents came to console him and, at the gods' request, stayed nearby. The place where Shiva and Parvati stayed became Srisailam.
The lingam here, legend says, was worshipped with jasmine, mallika in Telugu. Hence Shiva's name on this hill: Mallikarjuna.
The goddess here is Bhramaramba. Local legend says she took the form of a bee, made a countless swarm, and the bees destroyed the demon Arunasura and his army.
On Shivaratri night Shiva is remembered as an endless pillar of fire. At midnight, the hour of Lingodbhava, Mallikarjuna is bathed, then the god and goddess are wed.
Meaning
Two shrines in one
Srisailam is one of Shiva's twelve jyotirlingas and also a shakti peetha of the Goddess: legend says Sati's neck fell here.
Tamil Nadu
The temple is also sung in the Tamil Shaiva canon, the Tirumurai: it is one of the 276 temples praised in its hymns.
Customs
Paga in darkness
On Shivaratri night every light in the temple goes out, and a weaver of the Devanga community winds a long white cloth, the paga, round the shrine tower and the Nandi figures.
Cloth for a vow
The paga cloth is handwoven through the year. Some thirty pagas are offered by different weavers as vows, and a single weaver ties them all.
Divine wedding
After the midnight bathing comes the Kalyanotsavam, the wedding of Mallikarjuna and Bhramaramba.
Evening processions
Every evening of the eleven days the god and goddess come out in new adornments on a different vahana, the Ravana vahana among them.
The chariot
On the evening after Shivaratri the chariot rolls through the temple streets, and the Teppotsavam, the float festival, is held at the temple tank.
Patala Ganga
Many go down to the Krishna before darshan, here called Patala Ganga: 852 steps lead to the water, and since 2004 a ropeway as well.
Words of the festival
భ్రమరాంబ
Bhramaramba
"the bee mother": Parvati's name at Srisailam
మల్లె
malle
jasmine, which by legend gives the god here his name, Mallikarjuna
పాతాళగంగ
Patala Ganga
"the Ganga of the underworld": the name here for the Krishna, far below the temple
బ్రహ్మోత్సవం
Brahmotsavam
a temple's great annual festival; at Srisailam it lasts eleven days
True or myth
✅ True. Every light in the temple is put out for the rite, and the weaver works blind.
❌ Myth. It is both a jyotirlinga of Shiva and a shakti peetha of the Goddess: Bhramaramba is worshipped beside Mallikarjuna.
✅ True. So people say: press an ear to the wall behind the sanctum and a buzzing like a swarm is heard, a reminder of the bee goddess.
Where to celebrate
Srisailam
Eleven days of vahana processions on Mallikarjuna's hill build to an all-night Shivaratri: the Lingodbhava abhishekam, the Pagalankarana in darkness and the divine wedding at midnight.
How the eleven days build
The Srisailam Devasthanam publishes the day-by-day schedule a few weeks before the festival.
- Every evening: the vahanas
Mallikarjuna and Bhramaramba are taken out on a different mount (vahana) each evening, with new adornments, music bands and folk troupes; the Ravana vahana is one of them. During the festival a minister presents silk robes to the deities on behalf of the Andhra Pradesh government.
- Shivaratri night
Late in the evening comes the Lingodbhava abhishekam, the great bathing of the lingam at the hour when Shiva appeared as a pillar of fire. Then the Pagalankarana: every temple light goes out and a weaver winds a long white cloth round the shrine tower and the Nandi figures in darkness. From midnight, the Kalyanotsavam, the wedding of Mallikarjuna and Bhramaramba.
- The day after: chariot and float
The Rathotsavam, the chariot procession through the temple streets, and in the evening the Teppotsavam, the float festival on the temple tank.
Darshan during the Brahmotsavam
The temple's festival rules differ from its normal routine. The points below are based on press reports of the Devasthanam's announcement for a recent festival; the rules are set anew each year, so check the current ones on its site.
- Alankara darshan only — According to press reports, paid sevas are suspended, and devotees see the decorated lingam without touching it. Sparsha darshan, touching the lingam, stops a couple of days before Shivaratri; in the first days Shiva Deeksha devotees carrying the Jyotirmudi are given set hours for it.
- Three queues — Press reports list a free Sarva Darshan queue and paid Sheeghra (approx. ₹200) and Ati-Sheeghra (approx. ₹500) queues. There are separate lines for senior citizens, people with disabilities and mothers with infants. The free queue is longest on Shivaratri itself.
- Book through the Devasthanam — Darshan tickets and the Devasthanam's cottages and dormitories are booked online at srisailadevasthanam.org. Rooms for Shivaratri fill up, so book about two months ahead.
- Patala Ganga first — Many pilgrims bathe in the Krishna at Patala Ganga before darshan: 852 steps down, or the ropeway.
Getting there: the road through the tiger reserve
Srisailam is in Nandyal district, about 213 km from Hyderabad, and most pilgrims come by road from there. The last stretch from the Hyderabad side, between Mannanur and Domalapenta near the Krishna, runs through the Amrabad Tiger Reserve and is normally closed to traffic at night. For Shivaratri the forest department has opened it from 9 pm to 6 am for about five nights, with a 30 km/h limit; stopping is allowed only at the check posts, and walking on the road or taking shortcuts through the forest is not allowed.
For the festival, Telangana's state buses (TGSRTC) add hundreds of special services from the main Hyderabad bus stands, bookable in advance on tgsrtcbus.in, usually at up to 1.5 times the normal fare. Arrive a day or two before Shivaratri: there is essentially one road in, and it fills on the night itself.
Crowds
The temple expects lakhs (hundreds of thousands) of devotees over the festival, most of them on Shivaratri night. The UK Foreign Office notes that stampedes have occurred at large religious gatherings in India: use the marked queues, keep to the routes set by police and temple staff, and agree a meeting point with your group. Parking is spread across several lots outside the temple area.
The temple on the hill
Inscriptions of the Satavahana dynasty point to a temple here by the 2nd century, and most of the later additions were made in the 14th and 15th centuries under Harihara I of the Vijayanagara Empire. The complex covers about two hectares inside walls some 183 by 152 m and 8.5 m high, with four gopurams. It is one of the twelve jyotirlingas of Shiva and, as the seat of Bhramaramba, a form of Parvati, one of the Shakta pithas where, in legend, a part of Sati's body fell (see Shakti pithas). It is also among the 276 temples sung in the Tamil Shaiva canon. The Andhra Pradesh government administers it.
FAQ
When is the Srisailam Shivaratri Brahmotsavam?
Next: 27 February – 9 March 2027. The eleven days run from about a week before Maha Shivaratri to three days after; the Devasthanam confirms the schedule a few weeks ahead.
Which linga is there in Srisailam?
Mallikarjuna, one of Shiva's twelve jyotirlingas. The name is linked by legend to mallika, jasmine, with which the lingam was worshipped.
Is sparsha darshan available during Shivaratri?
According to press reports of a recent festival, no: during the Brahmotsavam the temple allows alankara darshan, and sparsha darshan is suspended from a couple of days before Shivaratri until the festival ends. Check the Devasthanam's current announcement.
How many steps lead down to Patala Ganga?
852 steps lead down to the Krishna at Patala Ganga, and a ropeway runs alongside.
Is the Hyderabad–Srisailam road open at night during Shivaratri?
The forest stretch through the Amrabad Tiger Reserve is normally closed at night, but for Shivaratri the forest department has opened it from 9 pm to 6 am for about five nights, at 30 km/h with no stopping.
Sources (8)
- Srisaila Devasthanam: online booking
- Shivaratri Brahmotsavams at Sri Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Swamy temple, All India Radio News
- FCDO: India safety and security
- Mallikarjuna Temple, Srisailam
- Srisailam gears up for 11-day Maha Sivaratri Brahmotsavams, The Hans India
- Maha Shivaratri: night travel allowed through Amrabad reserve, Deccan Chronicle
- Rathotsavam, Teppotsavam held in Srisailam, Deccan Chronicle
- TSRTC special buses for Maha Shivaratri, Telangana Today
Facts checked: 22 October 2026. Prices and hours are approximate; check locally.