Nagarjuna Sagar / Srisailam

By Patanjali Somayaji

"MODERN TEMPLES"

The Nagarjuna Sagar dam is one of the earliest multi-purpose irrigation and hydro-electric projects of independent India. Built across the Krishna river, it was the earliest in a series of large infrastructure projects or "modern temples", setup to achieve the Green Revolution across the country.

TEMPLE TOWN

Srisailam is home to the "Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga" temple and is one of the pilgrimage sites for Shiva devotees. The legend is that the gods Shiva and Parvati came here and stayed on under the names Arjun and Mallika. Evidence in the form of inscriptions at the temple date its origins to the 2nd century AD.

Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve

The Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve is the largest tiger reserve in India, though it has not been exploited for toursim as much as other tiger reserves in central and south India.

Meditation Pyramid at Kadthal

The Maheshwara meditation pyramid at Kadthal is located near Hyderabad on the way to Srisailam. At 1/20th the size of the Giza pyramids, built primarily with Granite, Steel and Limestone, it can seat upto 5000 people at a time.