|
RELIGION
A branch of the Mattamayura clan was founded at Bhera-Ghat about 10 miles from
Tripuri. A hypethral temple was erected on a hillock on the bank of the Narmada, where
sixty-four yoginis with Ganapati were installed most of the yoginis are of the time of
Yuvarajadeva I, but some are of much earlier age.1 The place seems to have considered holy from very early times. The hypethral temple became known as Golaki or the
Round temple from its shape. The matha or monastery established by its side became well
known as Golaki matha, The Malkapuram pillar inscription.2 says that the Golaki matha
was situated in the Dahala mandala between the Bhagirathi and the Narmada. As stated
before, Dahala was the home province of the Kalachuris with Tripuri as its capital. This
matha sent its Acharyas to distant places for the propagation of its faith. Visvesvarasambhu,
who had risen to the position of the chief abbot of this matha made an agrahara called
Visvesvara-Golaki in the Andhra country as stated in the Malkapuram pillar inscription
This inscription gives the following spiritual genealogy of Visveswarasambhu:â
It will be noticed that the three Āchāryas from Saktiśambhu to Vimalaśiva are identical with those mentioned in the Jabalpur inscription as the Rajāgurus of the Kalacuhri
kings Gayākarana, Narasimha and Jayasimha. Vimalaśiva hailed from the Kērala country,
while his disciple’s disciple Viśvēśvaraśambhu was a resident of Pūrvagrāma in Dakshina
Rādha in Gauda. This shows plainly that the Gōlaki matha attracted learned and pious
men from distant places. Viśvēsvaraśambhu, who had attained the position of the head
of the Gōlaki matha, afterwards repaired to the Andhra country, where he received great
honours at the Kākatiya court. he initiated the Kākatiya king Ganapati into the Śaive
faith and received munificent gifts of land and villages from him as well as from his
daughter Rudrāmbā. Branches of the Gōlaki matha were established at several other
places in Cudappa, Kurnool, Guntur and North Arcot Districts in the Madras state.
_____________________
1HT.M, p. 78
2 J.A.H.R.S., Vol. IV, PP. 158 ff.
3Some scholars identify this Vāmaśmbhu with Vāmadēva, mentioned in the grants of Karna and
others with full imperial titles. The identification does not appear to be correct. From the description
in the Malkāpuram inscription, Vāmaśambhu does not appear to have been the immediate predecessor of
Śaktiśambhu, but flourished several generation earlier Cf.
Home
Page |
