Umamaheswaram Temple

Getting there

• By road

  The temple is about 100 km from Hyderabad on the Hyderabad-Srisailam highway (NH7), and 51.4 km from Nagarkurnool town. TSRTC runs frequent buses from Nagarkurnool town to Achampet, Mahbubnagar and Hyderabad.

Why devotees come here

Umamaheswaram is a Shiva temple in the Nallamala Forest, in Nagarkurnool district, Telangana. It lies about 100 km from Hyderabad on the Hyderabad-Srisailam highway. It is the northern gateway of Srisailam, one of the jyotirlingas.

Umamaheswaram is the northern gateway of Srisailam, one of the jyotirlingas. Many Vedic scriptures mention the place, and it is believed that a visit to Srisailam is incomplete without visiting Umamaheswaram. The deity is believed to have been found in a naturally formed cave. Shiva is worshipped here as Uma Maheswara Swamy, along with his consort Umadevi.

The temple lies in the Nallamala forest ranges, which span Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It stands on a hill surrounded by high trees. The hills around it also cast a shadow over the temple and the path that leads down to PapaNasanam, a stretch of about 500 metres, for much of the day.

Local history says the temple dates back to the 2nd century AD. It is believed to have been built during the reign of Maurya Chandragupta. The temple is in Nagarkurnool district, which was formed on 11 October 2016 out of Mahabubnagar district. Achampet, a town in the same district, lies in the foothills of the Nallamala Forest.

Tips for your visit

• Road travel to Srisailam is not allowed from 9 PM to 6 AM, because the roads run through Nallamala forest.
• The temple is about 4 km from Rangapur village, near Achampet.
• Srisailam lies further along the same Hyderabad-Srisailam highway, past this temple.

Questions people ask