A trip to Srisailam - My 100th post :)

This is my 100th post in my blog, not a big achievement but never thought I would take blogging this seriously when I started in 2006 :)

Andhra Pradesh was known to be 'trilinga desam' due to 3 Shaiva kshetras - Bheemeswaram, Kaleswaram, and Srisailam. Bheemeswaram temple is in Draksharamam in East Godavari district, Kaleswaram near Karimnagar and Srisailam in Kurnool district.

Unfortunately, this name might remain only in history from now onwards as Andhra will be divided soon making these 3 shiva kshetrams divided into different states. 

Srisailam is one of the ancient temples of Lord Mallikarjuna. This month is auspicious in the telugu calendar and lighting a lamp in early Monday morning and leaving in water is considered sacred. Lamps are lighted on all Shiva and Vishnu temples during sunset and sunrise in this month. We usually go to Srisailam in this month. So here goes our road trip details..

Srisailam is around 220 km from Hyderabad. 

The drive is scenic, but ghat road drive is dangerous with several hairpin bends, curves and speed breakers. We go to Srisailam by car every year, so it wasn't difficult. 

Dam site and valley viewpoints are very good. We planned for one night stay at haritha resort and it is not at all worth for money. AC deluxe double room costs around Rs. 2000/- but they won't provide basic necessities like hot water and towels. Food is not available at all times in the restaurant and during lunchtime, only buffet is available, ala carte is not entertained. Srisailam devasthanam provides accommodation at Guari sadan, but this is always booked full in this season (Karthika Masam).

Srisailam dam

On the way to Srisailam

Srisailam bramarambika mallikharjuna temple is one of the oldest temples in Andhra. Darshan will not take more time unless it is weekend or Monday in karthika masam.


 On the way to the Srisailam, you will come across a temple called 'Sakshi Ganapathi' temple. As per mythology, Ganapathi / Vinayaka will tell Brahma sakshyam (proof of our visit) that we visited Srisailam. So usually, people visit this temple before reaching Srisailam. 

There is a roap way to 'Pathala ganga' which is not very impressive. It is 1 km from the temple and if not by ropeway, one has to climb down 500 steps to reach Krishna river which is known as Pathala Ganga. 

Another point of interest is 'Paladhara panchadhara'. It is said that water stream flows here continuously in all seasons. You can visit this on the way returning to Hyderabad. 

Another point is 'Shikaram', the highest peak in Srisailam at 2830 ft from sea level. It is believed that watching Srisailam temple from Sikharam will remove all sins of a person. 

Akkamahadevi caves can be reachable from pathala Ganga through a boat ride. Caves are formed naturally and this place has become famous due to Mallikharjuna devotee Akkamahadevi performing tapassu (penance) here. 

So.. this is about Srisailam.. Hope you liked the places. Couldn't capture more photos this time..

Until next time,

Traditional knowledge for natural growth

Traditional knowledge comes in handy many a times, especially when we have children in our house. Even a small illness in very young children becomes a problem, as they cannot express it like elders do. For example, think about cold and problem in breathing for a kid of 2 years or below age. We cannot give strong allopathic medicines to them, as they are very sensitive. This is the reason people follow and use the knowledge they receive from elders and forefathers of the family.

India is an ancient country and 'Ayurveda',  which means 'Science of Life' , an Indian system of medicine is originated from here. So, there are many practices and traditions followed here based on Ayurveda to improve health and lead peaceful life. I never thought about these Ayurvedic and homeopathic treatments earlier, though we used to follow them in our family from childhood. But, now being a parent of young kid, i realize the importance of them.

Some customs which help in good health:

1. Oil massage - Elders do oil massage to the children daily before bath to make their muscles strong and bones flexible.  This helps in overall physical growth of babies. Dabur Lal Tail is being used by many for massage of babies and here is the link about the medicinal benefits it gives. Dabur Lal tail is seesame oil with ayurvedic ingredients like camphor, ratanjyot, sankhapushpi and urad.
Oil massage before bath during festivals is also a tradition here even for adults.

2. Deworming for children - As a tradition, my grand mother used to prepare a paste of neem leaves, make it a small ball and used to give us once a year. Even though we hated those days, it was said to be a good de-worming agent. Other De-worming agents are Ajwain, garlic, turmeric, black pepper, asofoetida etc.,

3. Natural hair growth - I have a long black curly hair from childhood and it is very difficult to manage. I used to wonder how it was that black and shiny on those days. My grand mother used to apply hibiscus flowers paste before hair wash, which used to make it smooth, shiny and black. 

4. To avoid viral fevers, cold and cough: Grounded tulsi leaves are given to children regularly to make them immune to frequent cold and coughs. Massaging on chest with hot oil with melted camphor, making kid drink water boiled with ginger, jeera and karakkaya(Indian galnut or inknut) powder with honey are some of the tips to avoid cough.

 Above tips are a few examples of traditions which were set to improve our health. I know, there are many others.. Sometimes, it is good to know these tips and follow them for better results instead of only relying on vitamin tablets. What do you say? Please share your opinion in comments :)

Until next time,

This post is written for indiblogger contest by Dabur Lal Tail.