Sri mukhalingam Temple.
"This temple was built in the ELEVENTH CENTURAY on the banks of VAMSHADHARA river. There is no stone formation of Lord Shiva here for worshiping. Here the deity is SHIVA in the form of a FOSSIL of the trunk of MAHUA TREE with a naturally carved face. Thus it remains as the only temple where Lord Shiva is worshipped, though he is not in a stone form. There are two other temples nearby which were also built in the ELEVENTH & TWELFTH CENURY. One is SOMESHWARA TEMPLE at the entrance of the village of SRIMUKHALINGAM with fantastic architectural carvings that remained in its pristine glory even today. The other is BHEEMESHWARA TEMPLE in the heart of the village that remains as an architectural marvel as it is built with sturdy, strong and long stone boulders without cementing them, but placing them judiciously forming the temple. It remained incomplete and has no deity installed inside for worshipping.
SRIMUKHALINGAM TEMPLE complex is situated in a village of the same name. It is 30km away after breaking off from NH5 at NARASANNAPETA. It borders Orissa State.
The temples at BHUVANESHWAR such as LINGARAJ TEMPLE etc. built in SEVENTEENTH CENTURAY are a replica of the SOMESHWARA and SHRIMUKHALINGESHWARA temples. Probably built by the succeeding generations of the Sculptors who might have built the temples in the ELEVENTH CENTURAY at SRIMUKHALINGAM.
The temples at BHUVANESHWAR draw tourists across the globe while the temples at SHRIMUKHALINGAM remain UNKOWN DESTINATIONS of architectural beauty, with hardly any tourist visitors. The reasons are it is not linked by air nor has good roads to reach there in all seasons."
30 july 2016.