SRISAILAM

And it is here the devout princess Chandravathi worshipped Lord Siva with jasmine, flowers that gave the august name of Mallikarjuna-white jasmine to the presiding deity of the temple; it is with a mere darsan of the sikhara of this shrine, one is released from the cycle of births and deaths; it is this region visited by Lord Siva once on hunting expedition with a chosen few of his Pramadaganas, when his chance acquaintance with a local Chenchu damsel consummated in wedlock, and so was endearingly called Chenchu Mallayya by the Chenchu tribe; it is to this temple, royal families lavishly spent huge amounts to beautifying it by sculptural adornments and architectural marvels beginning with the Mauryas in the 3rd century, followed by Guptas, Satyavahanas, Paramaras, Pallavas, Vishnukundins, Vakatakas, Kadambas, Cholas, Chalukyas, Kakatiyas, Reddy Vemsas, Vijayanagara kings, Sultans of Mysore and ending in 1964, when it came under the Endownment Department of the State Government; it is here Sri Sankaracharya installed Srichakra in the temple and composed the famous Soundaryalahari and Bramaramba Ashtaka; it is here Acharya Nagarjuna did meditation in a dark cave for years; it is to this kshetra Sri Rama came with Sita and worshipped Lord Siva.....

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