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LEGENDS
A number of legends have grown round
Srisailam and its principal deities. Among them the
most significant one is that Parvatha, son of Silada
Maharshi is said to have performed penance, pleased Siva
and made him agree to live on his body. This Parvatha
assumed the shape of big Hill –‘ Sriparvatha’ and Siva
lived on it’s top as Mallikarjuna Swamy.
According to one story Chandravathi the
ruler of Chandraguptha Patana situated near Srisailam on
the opposite bank of the river Krishna ran away from her
father who made amorous advances to her went up the hill
and settled down there with few servants. One day she
found that one of her cows standing above a natural rock
formation resembling the Sivalinga and shedding its milk
over it. The princess in dream was informed that the
piece of the stone was a self-manifested Linga of God
Mallikarjuna and took to worshipping it. This story is
mentioned in the Skanda Purana. Two sculptures of the
Prakara Wall of the temple also represent this story.
According
to another story ‘Sri’ the daughter of a Rishi did penance,
pleased Siva and got her name associated with the name of the
Hill( Sailam ) which thereafter came to be known as Srisailam.
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