GODDESS BHRAMARAMBA DEVI

The temple is devoted to Sri Mallikarjunaswamy and his consort Devi Bhramarambika. One of the 12 ‘ Jyotirlingas’ in India, the temple is situated on the south bank of Krishna River in Nallamalai forest. ‘Bhramara‘ means ‘bee‘ and goddess Bhramarambika is ( Parvati), the consort of Lord Mallikarjuna (Shiva). She is said to have assumed the form of a bee and worshipped him. The goddess is worshipped as Brahmani Shakti. Legend says that one can get mukti by taking birth at Srisailam. The sanctum of the temple, a shell-like structure, enshrines Lord Mallikarjuna.
Bhramaramba Mallikarjunaswamy Temple is a hill temple located at a height of 457 m at Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh. Srisailam is situated in the thick and inaccessible forests of the Nallamalai hills, in the northeastern portion of the Nandikotkur Taluk of Kurnool District. It is one of the most ancient and sacred places in South India, and this important religious shrine stands on the Rishabhagiri hill, on the southern bank of the sacred river Krishna. Srisailam is referred to as “Sri Giri”, “Sriparvata”, “Rudra Parvata” and “Seshachalam” in several texts and Puranas.

BHRAMARAMBA DHYANA RUPA
The temple resembles a large fort and is known for its sculptures. Built by the Vijayanagar King Harihara Raya (1404-1405) the temple is characterised by the Vijayanagar architectural style. The row of sculptures on the walls gives the impression of a gallery. The remarkable feature of the temple is a sculpture of sage Bringi standing on three legs. It is said that the sage was damned by the Goddess Parvati to turn into a skeleton since he worshipped only Shiva. The Lord appeased Parvati and gave the sage one more leg to stand on. There are smaller shrines devoted to Nandi, Sahasralinga and Nataraja.
Pilgrims bath in the Pathalaganga – the local name for the River Krishna – before visiting the sacred shrines of Brahmaramba, Mallikarjunaswamy, Uma-Maheshwara and Saraswati.
The Satavahanas, Vakatakas, Kakatiyas and Vijayanagar rulers were great devotees of Lord Mallikarjuna as is evident from early inscriptions found here. The gopuram of the temple was built by Chhatrapati Shivaji, the Maratha ruler.
The Krishna River passing through this shrine, is the holy teerth known as pathalaganga. Pilgrims take holy dip in this river. Nearby is the Shikaram, Tripurantakam, Paladhara Panchadhara and Alampur Navabrahmma temples. Hyderabad airport is at a distance of 230 km. The railway station at Markapur is 91 km from Srisailam along the Guntur- Hubli line on South Central Railway. Buses are easily available to and from this place to other parts of the state.
Bhramaramba / Bhramarambika is one of the eighteen Shakti peethas. The Greeva(Neck) of Devi fell here. She is the Shakti of Mallikarjuna.

BHRAMARAMBA TEMPLE
Temple of Bhramaramba: The idol of Bhramaramba is in the form of Maha lakshmi. An idol of Lopamudra, the wife of Agastya, is present in the Garbha griha. A Sri yantra is present in front of the Garbha griha.



Sthala purana:
Bhramaramba (Bhramari) means the Mother of bees.
Once upon a time, a demon named Arunaasura ruled the whole world. Chanting Gayatri mantra, he performed Tapasya for a very long time, and pleased Lord Brahma. Arunaasura, wished that he should not be killed by two feeted and four feeted creatures. Lord Brahma granted his wish.
With this wish of Arunaasura, Devathas were worried and prayed Adi Shakti. She appeared and told that, Arunaasura is her devote and can,t be killed unless he stops worshiping her.
As per the plan of Devathas, Brihaspathi(Jupiter), the Deva guru meets Arunaasura. The demon wondered and asked Brihaspathi the reason for his vist. Brihaspathi told him that, as both of them worship the same deity, the Gayatri, there is no wonder if he meets him. Arunaasura felt ashamed of himself for worshiping Gayatri, who is also being worshiped by Devathas and stopped worshiping her. With this Adi Shakti became angry and took the form of Bhramari / Bhramarambika. She created innumerable bees, which have six legs. These bees killed Arunaasura and his whole army within seconds.