future births unnecessary. A festival is held in honour of the god every Mákha (February-March), and lasts for five days beginning on the eleventh day after the new moon day.
The temple is a rather handsome two-storeyed building. Its erection is ascribed by popular tradition to an unknown Chóla king. In the porch round the shrine in the upper storey are black granite Chálukyan pillars, a great rarity in this district. The lower porch is also of black granite. On the northern side of the temple a figure of a Jain tirthankara, sitting cross-legged, is carved on a stone slab. The stone Nandi (bull) and Hanumán in the temple have had their heads knocked off, and it is said that this was done by the Marátha marauders 1[1] when hunting for treasure. In the temple is a curious well, the mouth of which is the shape of a strung bow. It is called the rudra tírtam, and a bath in it is holy. The lingam at the side of the western gate is supposed to go to Benares every night.
The temple has an annual allowance of Rs. 1,000 from Government, and some of the servants in it have inam lands. But it is a large building and is not in particularly good repair. It contains a great number of ancient inscriptions. No less than 271 of these have been transcribed by the Government Epigraphist (Nos. 181 to 451 of 1893). The earliest appears to be No. 185, which is dated in A.D. 1055 or during the reign of the Rájarája whose capital was at Rajahmundry. The latest appears to be No. 426, which belongs to the Reddis' times, and is dated in the year corresponding to 1447 A.D.
Drákshárámam is sacred to Muhammadans also. The mosque and tomb of a saint called Saiyid Sháh Bhaji Aulia are much revered by the Muhammadans of the neighbourhood, who are often buried within their precincts. This saint is said to have been a contemporary of the famous Mira Sáhib of Nagore near Negapatam, and, like that rather shadowy personality, to have lived some five hundred years ago. He was born, it is said, at 'Gardez,' near Medina, and visited Drákshárámam with four disciples. Being hungry, the visitors slaughtered the bull belonging to a math of the local Saivite priests. In the disputes which ensued the comparative holiness of the Muhammadan saint and the Saivite head-priest was called in question; and to test the matter a lingam was thrown into a pond (the Lingála cheruvu) and each was told to charm it back again. The saint succeeded, was given the math to live in, and turned it into a mosque. A very similar tale is related
- ↑ 1 See Chapter II, p. 30.
