It is believed that Lord Shiva's curse led to the absence of temples dedicated to Lord Brahma. During Lingodbhavam, Brahma tried to wrongfully prove his dominance over Lord Vishnu and lied. Shiva, knowing this, cursed Brahma to be unworthy of worship, and as a result, no temples were to be built for him.

However, there are a few exceptions. Currently, there are two temples dedicated to Lord Brahma — one in Pushkar, Rajasthan, and another in Chebrolu, Andhra Pradesh. I haven’t had the chance to visit Pushkar yet, but I have visited Chebrolu.

So, let me take you on a spiritual and historical journey to Sri Chaturmukha Brahmalingeshwara Swami Devalayam, Chebrolu, Andhra Pradesh.


View of the Lord Brahma temple in a pond.

            It was during the rule of the local Zamindar Vasireddy Venkatadri Naidu, nearly 200 years ago, that this temple was built, and a gruesome story lies behind its history. During his reign, the surrounding areas faced severe problems from the Chenchu tribe, who carried out frequent raids. To stop these attacks on the common people, Naidu invited the Chenchu men to a feast, and had them killed. The place later came to be known as Narukullapadu.

Many days after the incident, the Zamindar began experiencing nightmares and was filled with remorse. Upon consulting his priests, he was advised to construct a temple for Lord Brahma. However, due to Lord Shiva’s curse, no temple for Brahma could be built.

Faced with this challenge, Venkatadri Naidu ordered the creation of a Shiva Linga with four figures of Brahma carved on its four sides. Since then, this unique Linga has been worshipped as a symbol of both Shiva and Brahma.

Lord Chaturmukha Brahmalingeshwara in the form of a Lingam.


Unique Structure:

            As you approach the temple premises, it becomes immediately clear that this structure is far from ordinary. The temple is located at the center of a pond, connected to the shore by a narrow pathway. Its level is around 15 to 20 feet below the surrounding ground, and the inner surface of the pond is reinforced with stone pillars.

The front view of the temple.

            The sanctum of the temple features four wooden doors, one in each direction, perfectly aligned with the four faces of Lord Brahma carved on the Linga. While it is said that Venkatadri Naidu built this temple, some sources suggest he may have only renovated it. The temple’s resemblance to nearby Chalukyan-style structures, which are over a thousand years old, is often cited as the reason for this belief.

            

Highly detailed artistry on the walls of the temple

Beautifully carved pillars can be seen all around the temple.

Ashtadigbandhanam:

        During the temple’s construction, eight smaller shrines(traditionally called Upalayam) were established around the main temple, positioned in all eight directions and facing Chaturmukha Brahmalingeshwara. Many of these shrines (again) show a striking resemblance to nearby Chalukyan-era temples.

        To the east stands the Chandramouleeshwara Swamy temple; to the west, the Sahasra Lingeshwara temple — a unique shrine with a central Linga bearing 999 smaller Lingas carved onto it. In the north is the Venugopala Swamy temple, and in the south, the Ranganatha Swamy temple.

        At the four corners, shrines dedicated to Rajyalakshmi, Rajya Syamala, Rajyalakshmi (again), and Parvati Devi are positioned, moving in an anti-clockwise direction from the northeast to the southeast.

Sri SahraLingeshwara Swamy with 999 smaller lingas carved onto the lingam.

       Since posting images of all the shrines disrupts the flow of this blog, I recommend watching the video I created on this magnificent temple. You can check it out at the link below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFwDnj-U4_Y

How to Reach:

    Chebrolu is a small town in the Guntur District of Andhra Pradesh. You can reach it by road or train.

  • By Bus: Frequent buses run to Guntur from nearby cities. From there, local buses to Chebrolu are available without any hassle.

  • By Train: While Chebrolu doesn't have its own railway station, both Guntur and Tenali stations are just 15 km away and well-connected by trains.

  • By Air: The nearest airport is Gannavaram in Krishna District. From Gannavaram, head to Vijayawada and then take local transport to reach Chebrolu.

Traveling here is simple and convenient. Save this spot for your next trip!

📍 Google Maps Location: Chebrolu on Google Maps


Other Places to see in the region:

1. Chaturmukha Brahmalingeshwara Swami Temple, Chebrolu.
2. Nageswara and Adikeshava Swami temples, Chebrolu
3. Ponnur Hanuman Temple
4. Uppalapadu Bird Sanctuary
5. In and around Vijayawada City(if time permits).
6. Cheerala Beach. 

        If you guys know Telugu and love to watch this place in a video format, subscribe to my YouTube channel here: 
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBTVTLwBWmwVzReAzzHFcFw

Wishing you a happy and wonderful trip!

See you guys in the next blog.