ABSTRACT
Shrī Shailam (sometimes still referred to by its pre-medieval name of Shrī Parvata) sits on the south bank of the Krishna River in the midst of the rolling Nallamala Hills against a backdrop of a variegated landscape. At an elevation of 476 meters (nearly 1,600 feet), Mount Shrī Shailam rises out of the earth like a volcanic island due to the generally flat terrain and the natural course of the Krishna River, which meanders in crescent-like sweeps in the northerly, easterly, and southerly directions. The topography of the Greater Shrī Shaila Kshetra with its eight gateway sites — as described in the medieval Sanskrit texts — constitutes a much wider area of 700 square kilometers (270 square miles), extending beyond the rocky terrain of Shrī Shailam and its neighboring plateau. Geographically, Mount Shrī Shailam forms the innermost region of the Greater Shrī Shaila Kshetra and has been the earthly home of Shiva and the Goddess Durgā for many centuries. Atop the mountain, the town of Shrī Shailam spans over ten square miles and consists of the main temple complex, religious institutions, residential settlements, local businesses, hotels, ashrams, museums, and Telugu University. With a population of about 24,000, life in Shrī Shailam revolves around the main temple site, which is situated within a massive prākāra (walled enclosure), standing 20 feet (6 meters) tall and running about 500 feet (150 meters) from east to west and 600 feet (180 meters) from north to south. Travel to Shrī Shailam, can only be done overland from Hyderabad, which is about 210 kilometers (130 miles) from the site. Hyderabad — a city of more than 5.5 million people — is the capital of Andhra Pradesh 1 and is the airport hub used to visit Shrī Shailam for residents of Vijayawada, Kurnool, Tirupati, Bangalore, Chennai, Bombay and Delhi.
