Hindu religious life. These eight
deities protect the directions with
which they are associated. Each direc-
tion also carries certain associations
because of its presiding deity. For
example, south is generally consid-
ered an inauspicious direction
because it is associated with Yama, the
god of death.
Gudimallam Linga
A particular linga, or symbolic form
of the god Shiva. It is reliably dated
from the second century B.C.E. and is
arguably the oldest existing Hindu
image. It is named after the place in
which it is found, the village of
Gudimallam, which is in the south-
eastern corner of the state of Andhra
Pradesh, near the border with Tamil
Nadu. Despite its venerable age, the
linga is still enshrined in its original
temple and remains an object of wor-
ship. The linga itself is a five-foot pil-
lar of polished stone, which bears a
four-foot-high carving of Shiva on its
front side. The sculptural work is
quite detailed and shows several sur-
prising features. Shiva’s hairis woven
into a turban-like shape, rather than
in the usual matted locks. Shiva has
only two arms, rather than the multi-
ple arms one commonly finds in later
images. He carries a ram in his arms,
rather than a deer—the only sculp-
turein which a ram appears. Finally,
the figure of Shiva has no sacred
thread (yajnopavit), which became
commonplace later. The linga is also
notable for the detailed work at the
top of the pillar, which exactly models
the head of an erect penis. This is also
a departure from later iconography,
in which the top of the linga is usual-
ly smoothly rounded. Although linga
worship should be interpreted sym-
bolically as an homage to the power
behind the universe, the object’s form
is clearly phallic.
Guha
In the Ramayana, the earlier of the
two great Indian epics, Guha is the
king of the Nishadas, a tribe who lived
on the banks of the Ganges River.
When the god Ramagoes into exile
with his wife Sita and his younger
brother Lakshmana, they pass
through Guha’s kingdom. Guha
arranges for a boat to take them to the
other side of the Ganges and person-
ally conveys the three over to the other
side. Although Guha is of very low
social status, his humble services are
accepted because of his sincere devo-
tion to Rama. In the Ramayana of
Tulsidas, a later vernacular rendition
of the Ramayanathat emphasizes the
power of devotion, Guha symbolizes
how sincere devotion can transcend
all social boundaries.Gujarat
Modern Indian state, located on the
Arabian Sea at the border with
Pakistan. Gujarat is one of the so-
called linguistic states formed after
Indian independence to unite gov-
ernment people with a common lan-
guage and culture (in this case,
Gujarati). It was formed in 1960 by
splitting what was Bombay into the
present states of Gujarat and
Maharashtra. Gujarat’s presence by
the sea has given the area a long his-
tory as a trading center, beginning as
the port of Lothalin the Indus Valley
civilization, one of the earliest, highly
developed urban cultures.
Most of the Indians who migrated
to Kenya, Uganda, and other parts of
East Africa are Gujaratis; substantial
numbers of Gujaratis have migrated to
the United Kingdom and the United
States, especially New York City.
Gujarat is also famous as the birth-
place of Mohandas Gandhi. The
Sabarmati Ashramnear the city of
Ahmedabad in Gujarat was his home
base during much of the struggle for
independence. Gujarat is also famous
for several prominent holy places:Gujarat