Parasuramesvara Temple

Oldest Shiva Temple in the World Gudimallam - Rahasyavaani Unknown Telugu Facts

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Gudimallam Temple Abhishekam

Gudimallam is a historical temple in the Srikalahasti Mandal which lies close to the Renigunta Railway Station. A Shiva Linga, discovered between the 1st century and 2nd    century BC, is installed in the garbhagriha of the Parasurameswara Temple. The main temple sanctum is situated at a lower level as compared to the main floor level of the Mukhamantapa and Antarala.

It is believed that it belongs to Trimurthy, with Shiva on the top, Vishnu in the middle and Brahma at the bottom.
Dating back to the third and second century BC, it is a simple structure consisting of a single semicircular chamber below ground level. Walking down the few steps into the garbha griha brings one face to face with a 1.35-metre, seven-sided monolithic lingam. The front plane has the figure of Parasurama standing on the crouching figure of a Yaksha. It rests on a base of seven concentric rings, or peethams, only two of which are visible above the surface. 

The main lingam and peetham, which were once out in the open under a tree, are dated 3rd century BC, while successive rulers of Pallavas, Banas, Cholas and Rayas made later additions to the temple. The semicircular shrine is a clear feature of the influx of Buddhist architecture into Hindu ones, as was common in the period. The low railing surrounding the idol has floral patterns typical of Buddhist and Jain architecture. Inscriptions on the temple walls in ancient Tamil describe the royal donations made to the temple, besides the various modifications made by rulers. 


A Puranic tale tells of Parasurama having beheaded his mother at the behest of his father. The sage was advised by rishis to locate the temple and to worship the lingam as a penance. After much searching, Parasurama found the temple in the middle of the forest, dug a pond nearby and began his purgation. 

A single divine flower used to grow miraculously in the pond each day, which the sage offered to Shiva as worship. He appointed a yaksha, Chitrasena, to guard the flower from wild beasts. Parasurama used to bring one hunted creature and toddy everyday for the yaksha. 

One day, Chitrasena, a devotee of Brahma, felt tempted to worship Shiva himself. An enraged Parasurama attacked Chitrasena when he found the flower missing. 

The battle lasted for 14 years, and was so fierce that a pallam, or pit, was created at the site. ’Gudipallam’, or ‘temple in the pit’, became Gudimallam over time. Unable to choose the victor, Shiva is finally said to have merged both into Himself, and the figures still etched show the hunted beast and toddy pot in Parasurama’s hand. Brahma as Chitrasena, Vishnu as Parasurama and Shiva as the lingam form this unique, unparalleled icon. 

There are smaller shrines in the courtyard, mainly for Goddess Parvati, the six-faced Kartikeya and Suryanarayana, all monoliths and over 1.25 metre tall. The sun god is shown standing erect with a flower in each hand, one of the earliest known depictions, comparable to the temples at Konark and Arasavalli in Srikakulam district. 

A mysterious event associated with the temple is that of the main chamber getting flooded every sixty years. A small underground tank and a duct connecting the tank to the Shiva lingam can be seen even today. These remain stone dry except during the 60 year phenomenon when water suddenly gushes through with such force that it rises over the column of the lingam, flows over the top and subsides as suddenly. The last time this happened was on December 4, 2005. Monument attendant P. Seenappa, who has recorded the incident in the temple register, says that the episode lasted just a few minutes. The water then fell and remained at six inches for four hours, after which it disappeared as though it was never there. Oldsters remember it happening earlier. Ramanaiah, a 75-year old villager said that he saw a similar phenomenon in 1945, except that the entire chamber had got flooded then. 

Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) conservation assistant Krishna Chaitanya says that the water table in the area is at a depth of 300-350 feet, so there is no tangible explanation for the phenomenon. Devotees believe that the water comes all the way from Kashi to do abhishekam to the lingam. 

There is yet another remarkable feature of the temple. The rising sun’s rays pass through the grills carved on the stone walls twice a year during the solstices (uttarayana and dakshinayana) and fall directly on the forehead of the main Shiva lingam.