I went to Srisailam for a day or two. Srisailam has one of India's largest reservoirs. I started off from Nellore by a APSRTC bus by 11 PM and reached the base of the hills by 5 AM. We were stopped in front of a very beautiful, big and new Ayyappan Temple. Nice bakthi songs were emanating from the temple and it was wonderful to be in front of that temple in that early morning hour in half sleep in the backdrop of those bakthi songs. I thought we were stopped just for a tea and didn’t wake up but learnt only later that we were waiting for the forest road to open. Finally it was opened by 5:45 AM and took us a solid 1hr 50 min to climb the hill and reach the top i took the lodging at GANDLA SATRAM.I made my first halt just short of the dam, where i had breakfast (idly & masala dhosa). Washed this down with some Gatorade - lemon flavored. For those who aren't acquainted with this drink - it's really good, tangy and refreshing. I personally like it a lot.i visited the main temple - the Brahmarambha Mallikarjuna Swamy templeone of the 12 Jyotirlinga temples dedicated to Lord Shiva.. This is a Shiva temple of antiquity, which may be traced back to the Buddhist period and perhaps even earlier to the Mahayana school of the Buddhism, which is known to have flourished during the 1st century A.D. The temple is located inside a fort with stone walls which in turn had motifs sculpted on the walls. The entrance to the temple is flanked by two gaily colored guardians. 
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Shrines inside the Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple:
1. Vrudhamallikarjuna Swamy
This lingam is said to be oldest than the present Mallikarjuna swamy lingam. There is no Nandhi in front of it. The lingam is uneven on its outer face indicating its ancientness and it was worshipped by Chandravathi. Hence it is called Vrudha Mallikarjuna swamy.
2. Ardhanareeswar:
This oldest idol is in the northern side of the temple and its period is unknown.
3. Lingas installed by Pandavas
Five temple are situated beside the Ardhanareseswara temple.
4. Mallika Gundam (water well):
According to mythology, this Gundam was part of the Saraswathi river, which flows in the inner of the Krishna river. This Saraswathi river is called ‘Antaarvahine’ which means it is flowing along with other rivers i.e. Krishna. Many devotees used this Mallika Gundam water to heal their diseases. Another important aspect being that the shade of the Mallikarjuna shrine/ Gopuram is being reflected in this ‘Gundam’.
8. Tri fruit tree (Triphala Vruksham):
Juvvi, Ravi and Medi plants together grown as one tree. It was said that Acharya Nagarjuna and others were given deeksha under this tree. There is a belief that childless couples will be blessed with child by doing pradakshina here.
Ashtadasa Maha Sakthi-peetas
Brahmarambigai Temple
Goddess Bramarambika is one of the manifestations of Goddess Shakti. In this form, She is the consort of Mallikarjuna Swamy (Shiva) at the Srisailam Temple. There are several legends associated with Bhramaramba Devi and one of the most popular one is she releasing thousands of bees to annihilate a demonLegend has it that a demon named Arunasura after strict austerities and penance pleased God Brahma and gained the boon that he will not be killed by any living being with two or four legs. After acquiring the boon, he started troubling devas, saints and humans. Due to the boon, Devas were unable to defeat him. Finally, all living beings approached Goddess Durga and requested to save them from Arunasura. Goddess Durga then released thousands of bees, which had six legs, from her body. They stung the Asura to death. Goddess Durga remained in the form of Bramarambika at Srisailam. At Srisailam Temple, Bhramaramba Devi is depicted as having eight arms and is adorned with silk sari. Married women perform different pujas for a happy and prosperous family life. Srisailam Templs is popularly known as Bhramaramba Mallikarjunaswamy Temple..
Places of interest in Srisailam and surroundings
Sakshi Ganapati Temple
Uploaded with ImageShack.us Sakshi Ganapati Temple located at the hill town of Srisailam is placed under the backdrop of picturesque natural settings. This temple enshrines a black idol of Lord Ganesha (Ganapati). This idol is assumed as the witness (Sakshi) Ganapati for the visit of the travelers to this place.
SIKHARAM
This most sacred spot is located at about 8 Km from the main temple at a height of 2830 feet above the mean sea level. It is the highest peak of Srisailam Hills.In ancient days people used to come to Srisailam on foot and those who unable to reach the shrine returned back by seeing this peak.
Akka mahadevi caves
During 12th Century A.D. this cave appeared to have attained it’s present name Akka Mahadevi caves after the famous ascetic, lyricist and philosopher, Akka Mahadevi who hailed from Karnataka. It is believed that Akka Mahadevi did penance in this cave and worshipped the Sivalinga that naturally existed in the deep and dark end of the cave.
Srisailam Dam
Srisailam Dam is a prime attraction in the hilly region of Srisailam in Kurnool District of Andhra Pradesh. It is constructed across the famous Krishna River and is placed in a deep canyon in the thickly wooded Nallamala hill range. The dam has an elevation of about 300 m and has a length 512 m.Srisailam dam is acclaimed as one of the twelve largest hydroelectric power project in India and has 12 radial crest gates. The dam is set on the backdrop of Nallamala forests and the vibrant flow of Krishna River. It is a hot tourist spot for those looking for natural eye feasting attractions.
Mallela Theertham is a waterfall in the middle of the dense forest,50 km from Srisailam, take a turn to the destination and drive on a bumpy, muddy road which is unmotorable during the rainy season and around 250 steps down the valley to the waterfal
It is said that many sages have performed penances here for Shiva; and Lord Shiva has himself appeared here to many of his devotees. It is also said that many tigers visit this place to drink water during summer.
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