Akka Mahadevi

Story

Akka Mahadevi was a true devotee of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva has many names and forms, and Mahadevi worshipped his Mallikarjuna form. She wrote many poems in the Kannada language about Lord Shiva.

Her poems were called Vachanas. Akka Mahadevi was born in the village of Udutadi in Karnataka. Her parents were devotees of Lord Shiva. Due to this reason, Mahadevi also worshipped Lord Shiva since childhood.

It is believed that Mahadevi married a Jain king at the age of sixteen. Before the marriage, she had set a condition with the king that he would not stop her from worshipping Shiva.

However, after marriage, the king did not keep his promise and hindered Mahadevi's worship and prayers. Mahadevi left her husband's house and reached the ashram of Saint Allama Prabhu.

Mahadevi faced many difficulties during this journey. She walked for months, begged for food from people, and could not find a safe place to rest.

Due to her devotion and love for Lord Shiva, she faced all these hardships and reached the ashram. She was then called Akka Mahadevi in the ashram.

After spending some time in the ashram, she proceeded towards the Shalya Parvat, which is considered a holy place of Lord Shiva due to the presence of the Shrishailam Jyotirlinga.

There, she meditated on Lord Shiva in a cave by the Krishna River. It is believed that she merged into the Shrishailam Jyotirlinga.

True devotion has the power through which we can overcome even the greatest challenges and attain God.