Rare Chaturmukha Nandeeshwara Lingam discovered at Hyderabad temple

Historian Dr Dyavanapalli Satyanarayana has discovered a rare 1,600-year-old Chaturmukha Nandeeshwara Lingam at Phanigiri Kosagundla Narasima Swami Temple in Hyderabad. The sculpture, unique in India, is surrounded by four Nandis and links Shaiva traditions to an ancient Buddhist site

Hyderabad: Noted historian and curator of tribal museums, Dr. Dyavanapalli Satyanarayana, on Monday said he has identified a new Chaturmukha Nandeeshwara Lingam in the backyard debris of Phanigiri Kosagundla Narasima Swami Temple at Chaitanyapuri, Hyderabad.

“Chaitanyapuri is known for its rare 1,600-year-old inscription mentioning a Hinayana Buddhist monastery called Govindaraja Vihara, which is currently referred to as Phanigiri Kosagundla Narasima Swami Temple. I identified a new Chaturmukha Nandeeshwara Lingam in the backyard debris of the temple. On a 2-foot-square granite slab, four Nandis of eight inches each are carved at the four cardinal points. In between the Nandis, there is a Shivalinga with a paanavattam to drain abhisheka water,” he said.

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The unique sculpture is the oldest of its kind in Telangana and one of the rarest in India. Earlier monolithic Shivalingas from the 2nd century BCE to the 2nd century CE were found in Gudimallam in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh and Rangapuram and Ghumakonda in Gadwal district, Telangana. The newly discovered Shivalinga, however, is distinct as it is surrounded by four Nandis at its cardinal points, he added.

Since the sculpture was found at a well-known Buddhist site constructed by the early Vishnukundi ruler Govindaraja (circa 400 CE), it suggests that subsequent rulers may have neglected the Buddhist site and promoted the Shaiva cult on its ruins. “In view of its importance, I request the temple authorities and the government to preserve the rare Chaturmukha Basaveshwara Lingam,” he said.