Shiva Lingam

History of Shiva Lingam

Shiva Lingam is a very unique healing stone found only in India and has been worshiped as a symbol of the god Shiva for thousands of years. However, outside of India, it may be considered a relatively “new” healing stone to the larger metaphysical world. As such, it is not included in any of the older lapidaries, texts which describe gemstones and their powers.

Shiv Shakti

Shiva Lingam is sacred to Lord Shiva, the Transformer and the Destroyer, one of the most important, and perhaps the most complex, of the Hindu deities. He is usually depicted as a blue-skinned masculine deity with an all-knowing third eye on his forehead. Shiva, along with his beautiful Goddess-wife, Parvati, are considered to be the source of “Shakti” or power, a great cosmic force that flows throughout the universe.

Shakti is intimately tied to the act of creation itself, and as such is a powerful symbol of sacred sexuality. The word Shakti is sometimes used to describe purely female power, in the sense of women as the creators of life. However, it can also be seen as creation involving both male and female aspects. The word “lingam” is often translated as penis, but in essence it is better described as the “Sacred Masculine.” Similarly “yoni” which may translate into womb or vagina, is more accurately the “Divine Feminine.” Together, Shiv Shakti, with their lingam and yoni, represent the dance of the cosmic creative force.

The Shiva Lingam stone is said to be a perfect fusion of the male and female Shiv Shakti energies. The solid egg-shape represents the male energy of Shiva and the space that existed before the Universe was born, which holds the Universe now, and will exist after the Universe is gone. The male aspect represents knowledge and permanence. The colored markings on the stone represent the female energy of the Goddess. Each stone has its own unique markings, just as each life has its own unique journey. The female aspect represents wisdom and change. Together, they evoke pure balance and harmony.

Shiva Lingams are found exclusively in the Narmada River, one of the 7 sacred sites in India. It has been said that if a pilgrim washes in the sacred Ganges River the water will take away all of their sins, but if a pilgrim so much as glimpses the Narmada River, all one’s sins will be forgiven. Narmada translates from Sanskrit to mean, “the giver of pleasure.”

Narmada River

The Shiva Lingams found within the Narmada River have a number of different creation stories. According to one myth, they were created when Lord Shiva was destroying the wicked city of Tripura. His arrows rained down on the Earth and one of them fell in the Narmada River, splitting into many pieces and becoming river rocks. Because they were created by Shiva himself, they carried his Divine presence within them. In another myth, the first Shiva Lingam was a present from Shiva to his loyal devotee, the demon-king Bana. Bana had incurred the wrath of the other gods because of his wicked ways, but Shiva honored him anyway, and so this stone is sometimes called “Bana Lingam” rather than Shiva Lingam. In yet another myth, the Goddess Parvati personally shaped the first Shiva Lingam out of sand as a sign of her great love and devotion to her divine husband.

Shiva Lingam Ceremony, Nageshwar Temple, India

Shiva Lingams are considered to be “self-manifested forms” of Lord Shiva himself. Many Hindu households, as well as temples, have a Shiva Lingam on an altar. They may be decorated with fresh flowers, bathed in incense and ghee (clarified butter), sung to with sacred songs and chants, and used as a focus during meditation. Natural Shiva Lingams are viewed as physical representations of the God himself, and very different than a carving created by a human. A statue has to be consecrated in order to be holy, while a Shiva Lingam stone is inherently holy. The most sacred Shiva Lingams are called swayambus, meaning that they were naturally oblong and were not shaped by human hands at all.

Photos: Shiv Shakti, Narmada River, Shiva Linga Puja