Shrishailam is a Jyotirlinga Kshetra. Shiva is known by the name Mallikārjuna Swamy in this Kshetram. Bhramarāmbā is the name of the Devi here and it is a Shakti Peetam as well which makes it  very special.

Long long ago there was a fearful Asura whose name was Arunāsura.  Arunāsura, like other Asurās, had the desire to live forever. He decided to propitiate Gāyathri Devi for obtaining this boon and immersed himself  in deep penance to seek Her favour.  Accordingly, he gave up food, water and sleep and was chanting Her name continuously with sincere devotion.. Pleased with his Tapas, Gāyathri Devi appeared before him.

Bowing to Her, Arunāsura said, “Hey Devi! Pranāms to your Lotus Feet! I want to be immortal. Please grant me the boon of immortality”

“It is not within my power to grant you this wish Arunāsura!” said Gāyathri Devi. “You will have to propitiate Bhagwān Brahma for this!”. Saying so She disappeared.

A disappointed but still determined Aruṇāsura then started his intense Tapasya to seek his boon from Brahmā.

After many thousand years, Brahmā appeared before Aruṇāsura. “I am pleased with your penance!” He said, “Ask what you want of me”. Aruṇāsura was extremely happy. Paying his respects to Brahma, he asked the same boon he had asked to Gāyatrī Devī. Brahma shook his head. “Immortality is not for anyone who is born on this earth, Aruṇāsura! However, you can choose the way you would want to die”.

Aruṇāsura thought for a while. He thought about all the creatures in all the worlds and to his mind came images of animals, humans, Gods and Goddesses, and mostly two-legged and four-legged creatures . He then said to Brahma, “I should not be killed by any weapon, by any animal or human or God or a combination of these, or any being with two-legs and four-legs!”

“Tathāstu! So be it!” said Brahmā and vanished. Aruṇāsura was overjoyed. He thought nothing could destroy him and that he had unlimited powers! With this arrogant thought in his mind, he started unleashing terror wherever he went. He took joy in torturing innocent people and killing unnecessarily those who did not obey him. He did not spare even the Devās. He kept interfering with the duties of Sūrya, Candra, Yama, Vāyu, Varuṇa and Agni. The forces of nature were being altered. Indra was living in constant fear of being forced out of his abode.

Arunāsura also continued to chant the Gāyatrī mantra which gave him additional protection. With time, all the beings on earth and the other worlds just could not bear the extent of the trouble by Aruṇāsura.

Brahmā was powerless and so were the others due to Brahmā’s powerful boon. The Devās and Rṣhis were discussing amongst themselves as to what to do, when they heard a divine voice. “Leave your worries to Parāśhakti! She will take care. However, apart from the boon, Aruṇāsura is protected by the Gāyathrī Mantra. So Indra should make efforts to see that Aruṇāsura stops chanting the Gāyathrī mantra and the rest will be taken care of” said the voice. Then they all got a vision of Parāśhakti. They all bowed to Her in deep reverence.

Now Indra had to act to make Aruṇāsura stop chanting the Gāyathrī mantra. So he requested his Guru Bṛhaspati to help him out in this matter.

Bṛhaspati assumed the disguise of an old learned sage and went to meet Aruṇāsura. Aruṇāsura was surprised at a sage was coming to him fearlessly to meet him. “What brings you here, O Sage?” he asked mockingly. “Don’t you know I am your enemy huh?” The sage smiled. “You, our enemy? No way. You are one among us O Aruṇāsura!” he said to the puzzled Asura. He continued “You also chant the same Gāyathrī mantra like us, so how can you be our enemy? You are also one of us!” So saying he left the place.

Aruṇāsura felt insulted. “Me, equal to these weaklings? Huh! If by chanting the Gāyathrī mantra I become equal to these creatures, I will stop chanting it from now on!” he said to himself and stopped chanting the Gāyathrī mantra. His protection slowly disappeared. 

Time passed and one day, Aruṇāsura was roaming aimlessly in the forests of Nallamalā on the banks of the river Kṛṣhṇa. Suddenly, he heard a buzzing sound from afar. It seemed to be getting louder and louder. Puzzled by the sound, he looked up to find a huge black cloud moving from a distance towards his direction. The cloud was too black to be a rain-cloud and was moving at a fast pace. Also the rest of the sky was clear with no sign of any rain.

As Aruṇāsura was still wondering what it was, the cloud reached to where he was and in a sudden swoop, descended on him. Before he could realise, thousands and thousands of bees and wasps had stung him all over his body, face and head. Aruṇāsura shrieked in pain and tried to shoo away the bees with his mace but can a mace be useful to ward off bees? The bees and wasps were too many in number and the manner in which they swarmed around him, it looked like he had been covered by a thick black blanket. Every visible portion on his body was stung by them multiple number of times and in no time, Aruṇāsura was lying lifeless.

If you were wondering where the bees came from, it was Devī Parāśhakti, the Supreme mother who transformed herself with all her army into an innumerable number of bees and wasps. Aruṇāsura could not be killed by animals, humans, Gods, weapons or any being with two or four legs. The bee is not an animal but an insect and it has six legs. Aruṇāsura had completely forgotten about insects in his arrogance. And now Parāśhakti had transformed herself into a six-legged insect and put an end to Aruṇāsura. Since She came in the form of a ‘Bhramara’ which means bee in Sanskrit language, She is known as ‘Bhramarāmbā’.

The Devās, Rṣhis and other beings were so relieved by the death of Aruṇāsura. They came to where Parāśhakti was and sang Her praise with deep devotion. Parāśhakti was pleased with their devotion and was ready to grant anything they needed.

“Stay here O’ Mā!” they said. “Please stay in this place as Bhramrāmbā alongside Śhrī Mallikārjuna Svāmī who already resides here and bless all the beings on earth with your abundant grace!” they requested.

Mā stayed back as Bhramarāmbā at Shrishailam and blesses us till date.

Jai Mā Bhramarāmbā!