Srisailam from Hyderabad — 2-Day Route, Ghat Timings & Cost (2026)

Srisailam sits about 213 km south of Hyderabad on NH765, roughly 5 to 6 hours by car through the Nallamala forest. It works best as two days: leave early, take darshan the same afternoon, and do Sparsha Darshanam or the ropeway next morning. Here are the forest gate timings, ticket types, costs and where to sleep.

🛣️ The road from Hyderabad: route, distance and checkposts

The route leaves Hyderabad on the Srisailam highway (NH765) past Shamshabad and runs through Kalwakurthy, Achampet and Mannanur before the ghat. Cabs log 210–215 km from central Hyderabad. Allow 5 hours of driving plus stops, or 6 in rain.

The last 75 km inside Amrabad Tiger Reserve are the slow part: single carriageway, blind bends, a 30–40 km/h limit in stretches and no fuel inside the forest. Fill up at Achampet or Mannanur.

Two forest checkposts sit on this stretch:

• Mannanur — about 75 km before Srisailam, the Telangana-side gate.

• Domalapenta — about 25 km before Srisailam, near the dam, where the ghat descends to the Krishna.

After Domalapenta you cross the Srisailam dam and climb to the temple town on the Andhra Pradesh side. An elevated corridor through the reserve is proposed to end the night ban, but nothing is built yet, so plan for the gates.

🌲 The gate rule that decides when you leave Hyderabad

Work backwards from the gate. Mannanur is about 140 km from Hyderabad, 3 to 3.5 hours on a normal day. Leaving the city after 5 PM is a gamble; after 6 PM you will be turned back.

The better plan is the morning. Leave Hyderabad at 5 AM, reach Mannanur as the gate opens or soon after, and be in Srisailam by 10:30 to 11 AM. That puts you at the temple for the midday Alankara Darshanam and leaves the evening free.

Returning, the same rule applies in reverse. Leave Srisailam by 3 PM at the latest to clear both checkposts before closing, allowing for the ropeway queue.

🎟️ Darshan ticket types at Mallikarjuna Swamy temple

Srisailam sells darshan in four layers, and the names confuse first-time Yatris. Sarva Darshanam is the free queue, 4 to 8 hours on weekends. Only one paid ticket lets you touch the Lingam.

Sparsha Darshanam has rules. Men wear a dhoti or pancha with no shirt; women wear a saree, or a chudidar with dupatta. From Tuesday to Friday it runs in fixed afternoon and evening slots.

On Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays and public holidays the temple has used a phased system since January 2026. On peak weekends it has been limited to a late-night window alone, so read the notice for your date.

Book online on the Devasthanam site and carry the printout and ID. The ladder resembles Tirumala's ₹300 Special Entry, which our Tirupati Special Entry guide explains, except that here the top ticket buys touch, not just speed.

⏰ Temple timings and a realistic two-day plan

The temple opens at 4:30 AM and closes at 10 PM, with a break from 3:30 to 4:30 PM. Suprabhatam is at 5 AM (4 AM on Mondays), then Mahamangala Harathi, both with seva tickets of around ₹200–300. Abhishekams run 6:30 AM to 1 PM, and Alankara Darshanam 1 to 3:30 PM.

Day 1:

• 5:00 AM leave Hyderabad; breakfast at Kalwakurthy.

• 8:30 AM cross Mannanur; 10:30 AM reach Srisailam, check in.

• 11:30 AM Alankara Darshanam with a Seeghra ticket, then Bhramaramba Devi temple inside the complex.

• 4:30 PM Sakshi Ganapathi and Hatakeswaram on the town's outskirts; evening harathi.

Day 2:

• 5:00 AM Suprabhatam or Mahamangala Harathi seva.

• 7:00 AM ropeway to Pathala Ganga, boat to Akka Mahadevi caves if time allows.

• 1:00 PM lunch and leave by 3 PM; reach Hyderabad by 9 PM.

💰 What the two days cost

Taxi fares on this route vary widely between operators, so treat these as ranges from October 2026 listings. A one-way sedan drop starts near ₹2,300–2,800; a two-day round trip with driver allowance costs more.

For a family of four in a sedan with two Devasthanam rooms and Sparsha tickets, the weekend costs roughly ₹9,000–11,000 before food. Tolls on NH765 are small and the forest road is free.

🧭 Which way should you go?

• With elderly parents: private car, leave at 5 AM, book Sparsha or Athi Seeghra tickets in advance, and take the ropeway rather than the steps. Avoid Saturdays and Mondays, when the free queue is longest.

• On a budget: TSRTC from MGBS; over 50 buses a day, the first around 3:30 AM, about 5–6 hours. Buses time themselves to the gates.

• Weekend day-trippers: possible but punishing. Leave at 4:30 AM, take Seeghra Darshanam, and turn around by 2:30 PM.

• Groups of 6–12: a Tempo Traveller splits the cost well; confirm the driver has done the ghat, as the bends are tight.

• What to avoid: reaching Mannanur after 8:30 PM, Sparsha without the dress code, and the Monday morning queue, when Somavaram crowds meet the 4 AM Suprabhatam.

📅 Best time and the crowd calendar

Srisailam is pleasant from October to February. Summer from March to May crosses 40 °C on the ghat, and the June to September monsoon makes the forest green but the road slow.

The dates that change the queue in the coming months:

• Dasara Navaratri, 11–20 October 2026: Bhramaramba Devi's festival; the temple has reviewed queue arrangements for these ten days, so expect weekend crowds daily.

• Karthika Masam, 10 November – 8 December 2026: Mondays are packed; Karthika Pournami falls on 24 November 2026.

• Maha Shivaratri, 6 March 2027: the eleven-day Brahmotsavam around it draws lakhs, and the forest road has stayed open at night on those days in past years by special order.

For a calm darshan pick a Tuesday to Thursday outside these windows.

🏨 Where to stay in Srisailam

The Devasthanam's own blocks are the practical choice. Ganga Sadan sits about 800 m from the temple and Gowri Sadan about 1 km, with non-AC rooms around ₹400, AC rooms around ₹700 and dormitory halls. Book online on the Devasthanam site and carry the printed receipt; allotment is at the CRO office.

Private lodges and a few hotels cluster on the main road and around the bus stand, mostly basic, with AC rooms rising in price on festival days. On Navaratri and Shivaratri weekends everything in walking distance goes a month ahead.

Leave before dawn, respect the forest gate, and Mallikarjuna's darshan is a calm two days from Hyderabad. Om Namah Shivaya — Har Har Mahadev.