Saleshwaram village is present in the vicinity of the Nallamala forest. The people of Saleshwaram celebrate Jatara every year in the Nallamala forest area. More specifically, it is celebrated in the Amrabad Tiger reserve on Chaitra Pournami, or Full Moon Day.
The Jatara is celebrated in the month of April every year for 5 days. The Nallamala forests offer breathtaking views of the layered rock formations, and deep valleys with spectacular views. This kind of view is only found in the most exotic locations of the world.
Saleshwaram village is located 16 km away from the Farhabad forest checkpost. Saleshwaram temple comes under Appapur Gram Panchayat in Lingal Mandal in Nagarkurnool district, Telangana, India.
Saleshwaram temple also known as the Sri Ramalingeshwara Swamy temple is an ancient temple dating back to the 6th century AD. The temple is located deep inside the Nallamala forest, about 1,000 feet deep inside a valley. The Shiva Ling at the Saleshwaram has become famous since 5th or 6th century. The layered rock formation in front of the sanctum sanctorum itself looks like a mammoth cave leaving everyone stunning.
Near the temple, there lies a waterfall coming down from a height of over 200 meters. Most of the devotees take a dip in the holy water before entering into the Garbhagudi of the temple. The devotees even collect water in bottles as it is believed that it contains medicinal values. Inside the Garbhagudi, the Shiva linga is located on a huge rock inside the cave.
As the temple lies in between a jungle, it is a bit of a tedious task during the journey. One has to journey for 16 km through the core area of the tiger reserve with another 6 kilometers of a trek through the Nallamala hills to reach the temple.
The drive through the deep forest can be best memories for visitors since they get to witness many wild animals like spotted deer, nilgai, and wild boar.
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‘Sarveshwaram teertha kshetra,’ was later named as ‘Saileshwaram’ and ‘Saleshwaram locally,’ . It is a primitive religious site, located 30 to 40 km deep inside the Nallamala forests inside Amrabad Tiger Reserve. In the forest area, a rare tribe called Chenchu Adivasis have been living and serving Lord Shiva for ages.
As per local Chenchu mythology, many years ago, a Chenchu named Ravagadu had gone hunting along with his wild dogs. He couldn’t find water to drink anywhere. Then, his dogs led him to a water body located near a cave. In the cave, the water drops looked like pearls were falling through the layers of rock formation.
There, Bhole Baba (Lord Shiva) had revealed himself to the Chenchu in bright gold and then vanished all of a sudden. That night, in his dream, Lord Shiva appeared and asked him to consecrate a Shiva Linga and serve him.
The rocks from which the water flows has been formed thousands of years ago. The water carries with it all the medicinal values through the roots of nature, making it the purest form of water that has the ability to cure any disease. People have been visiting this place that is close to nature for ages and people believe that their sins can be washed-away here when they take a dip in the holy water.
Parvatha Purana says that, the holy water changes its color and becomes dirty when a sinner takes a dip in the water. And, the water remains crystal clear when a pure human takes a dip in the holy water. Although the water that comes from the top of the mountain is crystal clear, it may changes it’s color due to the pilgrim.
