What is the sthala katha — the legend — of Bhairavakona?

Early medieval · Hindu · India

Bhairavakona

Nallamala Hills, Markapuram district, Andhra Pradesh · 15.0886°, 79.2017°

Shiva in eight forms (Shashinaga, Rudra, Visweswara, Nagarikeswara, Bhargeswara, Rameswara, Mallikarjuna and Pakshamalika), with a separate Kala Bhairava shrineUndeterminedRock-cut cave

Sacred since

600 CE

first attestation / structure

Standing structure

7th–8th c. (rock-cut)

Undetermined

History & significance

A group of eight inscribed rock-cut cave shrines cut from a single formation in the Nallamala Hills, dated to the 7th–8th century and compared with the rock-cut work at Mahabalipuram; each cave carries a Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva grouping, alongside life-size dvarapalas, carved lions and Harihara figures, with a 200 m waterfall beside the site. Mahasivaratri and Kartika Purnima draw large pilgrim crowds.