Gudimallam: The Gudimallam Lingam is believed to

The Gudimallam Lingam is believed to date back to the 3rd century BCE, making it one of the oldest known Shiva Lingas still in worship. The Lingam is carved from a dark brown stone, over 5 feet tall, with a full-length relief of Shiva—a rare and powerful iconographic form. It is situated about 24 kilometres (15 mi) south-east of Tirupati city. [2] Though Gudimallam is a small village, it is well known because it has a very early linga that is unmistakably phallic in shape, with a full-length standing relief figure of Shiva carved on the front. The Gudimallam Temple is considered to be the oldest Shiva temple identified so far tracing to 3rd century BC. The Lord here is known as Parasurameswara and this lingam is believed to depict the trinity. The legend of the temple connects it to Parasurama, an avatar of Lord Vishnu. A phallic sculpture in the tradition of the Shaiva cult, dated to several points between the third century BCE and first century CE, the Gudimallam stone lingam is located in the Parasurameshwara temple of the Gudimallam village in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. It was recovered in 1903 by ...