Gudimallam
| Gudimallam | |
|---|---|
| village | |
| Country |
 India
|
| State | Andhra Pradesh |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Telugu |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
Gudimallam is a small village located in Srikalahasti Mandal, of the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located ten kilometers [seven miles] south-easterly to Renigunta Railway Junction.
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 and considered unique for its naturalistic depection. This is supposed to be the earliest Linga discovered so far and it has been assigned to the 3rd century BCE. 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 AD have been brought to light during the course of excavations conducted in 1973. Potsherds of the Andhra Satavahana period (Circa 1st century AD to 2nd century AD) and large sized bricks measuring 42x21x6 cm of the same period have also been found. Hence some historians assign the temple to the Satavahana period.
Historians disagree about the political history and the name of this place. There are several inscriptions which date to the Pallava, Ganga Pallava, Bana and Chola periods on the walls of the shrine and on stone slabs in the temple courtyard. The earliest inscription belongs to the reign of Nandivarma Pallava (802 AD). All the inscriptions mention the keen interest taken by the donors and their gifts to the Temple. However, none of the inscriptions give the village name as Gudimallam.
The floor of the sanctum is below the floor level of the Antarala and Mukhamantapa. 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).
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