This post is all about the rarest of the rare murthi Ekadasha mukha rudra. We haven’t seen such a murthy sofar anywhere in the indian subcontinent.
This murthy/Image found at Parvati Paramesvara temple, Pedavegi, Andhra Pradesh.
Present day Pedavegi was the ancient Vengi the capital of Eastern Chalukyan kingdom, it was also known as Vijaya Vengipura.
Vengi was the most prominent city in Ancient Andhra for nearly seven centuries. Vengi served as the capital for many Andhra dynasties like Salankayanas, Vishnukundinas, and Eastern Chalukyas. This region was part of Ashoka’s Mauryan Empire in the mid-3rd century BCE. After the Mauryan Empire collapsed in 185 BC, the region was dominated by the Satavahanas, who were succeeded in Vengi by the Andhra Ikshvakus. Around 300 CE, the Andhra Ikshvakus were replaced by the Salankayanas. In the late 5th century, the Salankayanas were annexed by the Vishnukundinas.
King Pulakesin II of the Chalukya conquered Vengi from the Vishnukundinas in the early 7th century and installed his brother Kubja Vishnuvardhana as the viceroy. He eventually established the Eastern Chalukya dynasty. The Eastern Chalukyas were first conquered by the Cholas under Raja Raja Chola I (985–1014) and subsequently became very closely aligned to the Chola empire through marital alliance between the Cholas and the Eastern Chalukyas.
The rare image of Vedic Rudra carved on red sandstone measuring some 3 1/2 feet tall is a puzzling character of Ekadasa mukha Rudra, some scholars are still not certain with the identification.
The image has 11 faces,24 hands and three eyes, with jatamukuta, ears with makara and vyaghra kundalams, snake armlets, the central deity is Mahadeva in full form,along with ten other heads of Siva, Sankara, Nilalohita, Isana, Vijaya, Bhima, Devadasa, Bhavodbhava, Rudra and Kapalisa.
According to shiva tatva ratnakara, eleven forms of rudra are as follows
1. Shiva
2. Maheshwara
3. Shambhu
4. Srikanta
5. Bhava
5. Eeshwara
7. Mahadeva
8. Pashupathi
9. Neelakantha
10. VrushaDhvaja
11. Paramesha.