Siddha Ramappa Kolanu was a seven-year-old boy who had the extreme luck of seeing Mallikarjuna Swamy (Lord Shiva) Himself at Srisailam. The kolanu (or pond) in the middle of the picturesque valley, in which the Srisailam Temple is located, derives its name from the 12th century AD devotee, Siddha Ramappa Kolanu.
Seven-year-old Siddha Ramappa arrived at the Srisailam Temple from Solapur. He was a part of a large pilgrim group. The young boy was in search of Lord Shiva. But he is not satisfied when he is shown the jyotirlinga in Srisailam.
He wanders all over the place to find the image of Shiva that he wanted to see. But his search was in vain.
In desperation, Siddha Ramappa jumps into the pond only to be pulled out by Lord Shiva who appeared before the boy as Sri Mallikarjuna Swamy.
From that day onwards the pond and the valley came to be known as Siddaramappa.
There is a small waterfall and a pond in the sacred place. Thousands of devotees visit the holy spot daily.