Description:
The Saivaite temples of Srisailam, celebrated in devotion, tradition and history from the second century A.D., stand on a plateau on the top of a hill named Srisailam, Sriparvata or Srigiri, in the Nallamalai ranges in Kurnool district. Countless devotees hold the Lord, Mallikarjuna, and His Consort, Bhramaramba, in great veneration.
A distinctive feature of the temples is that they are located in a large prakara enclosed by sculptured walls. In fact, the temple area looks like a fort, The walls are 8.5 m high and, north to south 183 m long and, east to west 152 m broad. They are made of huge blocks of stone reverted to each other. There are sculptures in Profusion on the northern, eastern and southern walls, and fewer ones on the western.
There are five regular rows of sculpture on the walls from above the base. The first contains figures of the elephant in many postures. The next has reliefs of the horse, the warrior, the hunter and the dancer. The next three are full of superb sculpture representing Deities and scenes from Saivaite traditions. Above these there are occasional reliefs of Deities, birds and animals. On the copings of the walls are Lingas, nandis, and the lion, the swan. "From a distance these walls look like a well arranged picture gallery".
