Gudimallam

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Gudimallam is a small village located in Kalahasti Taluk, of the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, India.^[1] It is seven miles away from Renigunta Railway Junction of considerable significance. Though a small village, historically it is very important, because it has a beautiful Siva Temple which is popularly known as "the Parasurameswara Temple."

The main importance of the temple lies in the Linga which is housed in the Garbhagriha of the temple. This is supposed to be the earliest Linga discovered so far and it has been assigned to the 2nd or 1st century B.C.

Vipirampedu in Tamil. The name of the temple is mentioned as Parasurameswara Temple in the inscriptions. These inscriptions do not refer to the original builders of the temple. But they register the gifts made to the temple like land, money and cows for the conduct of daily worship in the temple. The Black and Redware sherds of the 2nd or 3rd century A.D. have been brought to light during the course of excavations conducted in 1973. Potsherds of the Andhra Satavahana period (Circa 1st century A,D. to 2nd century A.D.) and large sized bricks measuring 42+21+6 cms. of the same period have also been found. Hence some historians assign the temple to the Satavahana period.

[edit] GUDIMALLAM SIVA LINGA

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As for the political history and the name of the place there is no unanimity among the historians. In the temple there are several inscriptions on the walls of the shrine as well as on loose stone slabs located in the court yard of the temple belonging to the Pallava, Ganga Pallava, Bana and Chola periods. The earliest inscription belongs to the reign of Nandivarma pallava(802 A.D.). All these inscriptions speak about the keen interest taken by the donors and their gifts to the Temple. But no where in the inscriptions there is mention about the name of the village as Gudimallam.

The floor of the sanctum is at a low level compared to the floor level of the Antarala and Mukhamantapa. Secondly the figure of Siva carved on the linga resembles a vigorous hunter. These two names however are not mentioned in the inscriptions. The village is referred as Viprapita (Brahmana Agrahara) and Linga:—The Linga is carved out of hard indigenous stone of dark brown colour. It is about 5* in height and one foot in thickness. The nut of the linga is clearly differentiated from the shaft by a deep slanting groove cut near the Linga. A beautiful two handed image of Shiva in sthanaka posture is carved in high relief. On the front portion of the Linga the God is standing on the shoulders of the apasmarapurusha. The Deity holds a ram in his right hand and a small vessel in his left hand. There is a battle axe (Parasu) resting on his left shoulder. His head is adorned with Jatas arranged in the Jatabhara fashion. He wears a number of rings on the ears and a peculiar girdle with its central part hanging. Though the God wears a dhoti tied to his waist with a beautiful vastra-mekhala, the membram-virile lying down wards is clearly visible. He has no Yagnopavita.

Some of the Copper coins obtained at Ujjaxn and belonging to the 3rd century of B.C. contain figures which resemble the Linga of Gudimallam. A 1st century sculpture in the Mathura Museum also contains a figure resembling the Gudimallam Shiva Linga. J.N. Benerjee in his work " Religion in art and archaeology"1 observes.... "The Lingam in Arghya motif was comparatively late phase. In the course of its conventionalisation and development, the Arghya was supposed to symbolise the .female part and it was described, in many late texts of a tantric character. But originally in comparatively early times, the emblems of the male and the female deities were worshipped separately,, as the earliest specimens of the Phali and ring stone testify. The Gudimallam Shiva Linga or for that " matter the Shivalingas of the Pre-Gupta and the early Gupta periods did not show any real base in the shape of the latter characterisation of the arghya or pita. Even in latter representations of the emblem, the projecting section of the Pita really served the very useful purpose of draining off the water profusely poured on the top of the Shiva Linga to some distance from its base." This statement needs revision, for it is evident from the recent excavations conducted by the Archaeological survey of India, South eastern Circle of Hyderabad, clearly revealed that Gudimallam Linga was originally provided with a pedestal. Miss. K. ANNAPOORNA, M.A.

Sri I. Karthikeya Sharma who conducted the excavations/urther states that the Gudimallam Linga is the combination of various much emphasised later aspects of Siva. He says that the concentration of the eye sight of the God over the tip of the nose indicates the virupaksha and Yoga-dakshinamurthy aspects of latter years. The holding of a ram (perhaps leather) in his right hand indicates the Bhiksha-tana murthi aspect of Siva. The membrum virile lying downward and JUNI,