Located in the Kurnool district in Andhra, it is across the border from the Raichur district in Karnataka. It is a peaceful temple town that lies on the banks of the river Tungabhadra, the river itself being split between Karnataka and Andhra at this point. This town is noted for the presence of the Samadhi of Guru Raghavendra Swami, a Madhwa saint and follower of Sri Madhwacharya.The original name for the place was Maanchale, has been sanskritised into Mantralaya. Thousands of visitors come through the year and once a year in August lakhs descend for a festival.

The nearest railway station is Mantralayam Road which is ten kilometres from Mantralaya. The easiest way to get there is by rail and there are many trains that pass by Mantralayam Road station from Bangalore and Hyderabad. One has to be careful getting from the station to the temple though as it passes through lonely roads in the countryside. There are lots of options to stay from private hotels to temple guesthouses. Do not expect great luxury but you can definitely get a comfortable AC room for a cheap rate. Food is served hot in the temple premises daily but be prepared to eat on the floor from banana leaves.

From the temple, if you have half a day, then you can visit the Panchamukhi Hanuman temple, across on the Karnataka side. It takes about 45 minutes from Mantralyam. During the 16th century AD, Sri Raghavendra Swamy performed penance for 12 years in a cave here and was rewarded by the blessing of Lord Hanuman. Lord Hanuman assumed this form to kill Mahiravana, a powerful rakshasa black-magician and practitioner of the dark arts during the Ramayana war. Mahiravana had taken Lord Rama and Lakshmana captive, and the only way to kill him was to extinguish five lamps burning in different directions, all at the same instant. Hanuman assumed His Panchamukha form and accomplished the task, thus killing the rakshasa, and freeing Rama and Lakshmana. The five faces of Panchamukha Hanuman are those of Sri Hayagriva, Sri Narasimha, Sri Garuda, Sri Varaha and Hanuman Himself. Sri Racghavendra Swamy then went to Mantralayam. The natural rock formations around the temple is worth seeing.