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NA MA SI VA YASiva Lingam Worship – Facts, Fallacies, and Philosophy‐A Timeless Universal SymbolArcheologists concur that Siva Lingam worshipgoes very far back in human history given thatsuch stone structures dating back manymillennia BC have been discovered trans‐continentally, clearly pointing to the fact thatthis worship is very ancient and was universallywidespread at one time.According to scholars, traces of Siva Lingamworship have been found in the ancient Mayan,Egyptian, Mesopotamian and Indus Valleycivilizations. Famous historian and Indologist,Professor Arthur Llewellyn Basham, confirmedthat Siva Lingam stones have been found in theHarappan remains and commented thus:". Shiva was and still is chiefly worshipped inthe form of the linga, usually a short cylindricalpillar with rounded top, which is the survival ofa cult older than Indian civilization itself. Thecult of the linga, at all times followed by someof the non‐Aryan peoples, was incorporated intoHinduism around the beginning of the Christianera "5,000 years old Siva Lingam as it was being excavatedfrom the Harappa site in the ancient Indus ValleySiva Thiru A. Ganesan Alagappan, SingaporeIn 1925, OA Well said: ‘In the Zhob Valley(modern day Baluchistan, Pakistan), wheresmall farming groups existed before3000 BC, a carved stone linga was found’. Theancient civilizations of Asia, South America, andEurope have evidence of Siva Lingam worship.1,500 years old Siva Lingam in Myson, VietnamCylindrical Siva Lingam stone at the centre of the StoneAltar at Feaghna, Ireland, at least 2,000 years oldEarly Man, who worshipped God as fire, is likelyto have created vertical stone representationsof it, given that he could not ritually adore fireas it were. Over time, a base was probablyadded for stability and utility.
Siva Lingam is a symbol of auspiciousnessA Vedic sacrificial ritual shows the fire rising up like thepillar of a Siva Lingam and the firepit akin to its pedestal,explaining why the fire ritual is really Siva Lingam worshipIn the ancient Saiva religion (or Adhi Saivam) ofIndia, one that long predates the advent ofpresent day Hinduism, God Almighty is knownas Eesan (‘The Lord’) or Sivan (‘The Red orAuspicious or Compassionate One’). In Saivatheology, God exists in 3 states: formless(Sivan); in forms (Mahesan); and formless‐formor shapeless shape (Sadha Sivan or Siva Lingam)respectively. The formless‐form or Siva Lingamis the primary object of ritualistic worship in thisageless tradition and is symbolic of the one Godof the Universe.In this connection, it is Interesting to note thatthe Siva Lingam is depicted in Saiva religioussymbolic expression as a right‐handed thumb‐up, seated on the palm of the left hand. Onecan possibly fathom how this religiousexpression, signifying a compassionate andauspiciousness God, evolved over time tobecome the now universally accepted thumbs‐up hand gesture that refers to all things good.The great Sage Vyasar mentions that those whoworship the lingam become perfect with boththe direct and indirect knowledge of the Unity ‐of Divine Will and Supreme Energy. Thus, theSiva Lingam demonstrates the union of Life andLight or Efficient Cause (like a potter) andInstrumental Cause (like a potter’s wheel) andnot the union of opposite sexes asmisinterpreted by some.The common misconception is that the SivaLingam represents a phallic emblem of thegenerative power in nature. According to SwamiSivananda, this is not only a serious mistake,but also a grave blunder. He refers to the SivaLingam as really an outward symbol of theformless Lord Siva, pointing to an inference thatreminds us of the Omnipotent God seated inthe chambers of each of our hearts as its silentindweller and constant witness.In his divine treatise in Tamil calledThirumanthiram, Saint Thirumular mentionsthat ‘lingam’ refers to six different things:Universe, human body, Siva and Sakthi, theformless Almighty, and the formless form itself.It is evident, then, that the word ‘lingam’ means‘symbol’ or ‘icon’. So, the lingam is a symbol,much like a Cross is the symbol of Jesus Christ.The purpose of this article is to shed muchneeded light on the deeper meaning of the SivaLingam and its worship as well as to debunk thefallacies beneath the incorrect interpretationsof this lofty symbol of the Saiva religion.
TypologyAccording to Saiva texts, there are broadly fivetypes of lingam (pancha lingam) ‐ said to haveappeared from each of Lord Siva’s five faces inHis Sadasiva form. The last of these, known askanma sadhaakiam, is the type that usuallyconsists of a pillar and a pedestal. Somepuranic (ancient mythological) sources statethat there are five kinds of kanma sadhaakialingams: thaan thondri or svayambhu (lingamthat appear naturally), bindu (lingam which is asone contemplates it), prathista or sthira (lingamwhich is ritually installed at one place throughmantras), chara (lingam that which is movablefrom one place to another), and guru (lingamthat includes an image of Siva in human form).Again, Siva Lingams can be classified into some14 sub‐types based on how they appeared ‐ranging from lingams which self‐emerged bySiva’s grace to lingams installed by humanbeings (maanuda or manushya lingam).Maanuda lingam are further classified into agnilingam (where the upper portion is pillar‐like)and jala lingam (upper part is a relatively smalland smooth elliptical stone). Lingams are madefrom six main types of materials ‐ preciousstones (ratnajam), stone or rock (shailajam),metals (lokajam or dhatujam), wood (darujam),clay (mritikam), and those made on the spot fortemporary usage with any material (shanikam).suggested, upon closer examination, neither thepillar nor the pedestal resemble human organs:1. In the agni lingam, the upper portion isgeometrically shaped and is usuallyrounded and conical at the top but canalso be MULTI‐ANGLED and FLATsurfaced. The bottom portion of thepillar, concealed underground, is alwayssquare shaped (shown below).2. This agni lingam’s pillar slots through anopening from UNDER the pedestal, withthe length of the visible portion of thepillar typically being one third the lengthof the entire pillar with one thirdconcealed within the pedestal and onethird in the ground below the pedestal.GeometryThe Siva Lingam’s geometric structure also holdsa key to dispelling misinterpretations. The upperportion is typically a naturally occurring orsculpted stone pillar (agni lingam) or a naturallyoccurring elliptical stone (jala lingam) that has anatural polish and smoothness and is typicallyobtained from such holy rivers as the Ganges,Yamuna, Narmada, and Sindhu or from placeslike Nepal and Kedarnath. This upper portion ismostly supported by a base pedestal (peedam).Unlike what some commentaries haveThe mammoth 8 feet high 9th century agniLingam, Matangeswarar Temple, Khajuraho,Madhya Pradesh, India
3. In the case of the jala lingam, the upperportion (baanam) is a perfectly smoothelliptical stone that sits vertically ontothe top of the pedestal below but onlydown to about a fraction of the stone’soverall length, just enough for it to beheld securely upright1,000 years old Siva Lingam exhibited inGregorian Etruscan Museum at Vatican City, Italy4. The shape of the pedestal in both typesof lingam, on the other hand, is eitherperfectly rounded or quadrangular(usually square)5. The flat upper surface of the pedestal isgrooved and ends as an open spout onone side of the pillar or baanam(illustration below) – serving to drain offceremoniallyanointedsubstances(water, milk etc.). This draining off of theanointed substances from the spoutsymbolizes Siva’s bestowal of His graceto the countless souls that worship Him.EtymologyThe pillar and pedestal of Siva Lingam areknown respectively as thiru udaiyaar‐aaudaiyaar in Tamil and as linga‐yoni or nada‐bindu in Sanskrit. Etymology provides yetanother critical set of clues to unlock the realmeaning beneath the symbolism of Lingam:1. In Tamil, ‘thiru’ refers to ‘salvation’ and‘udaiyaar’ to ‘He who has’. ‘Has’ hererefers to the ability to own somethingand to bestow it. So, ‘thiru udaiyaar’means ‘He who bestows salvation’. ‘Aa’refers collectively to ‘souls’ and,therefore, ‘aa udaiyaar’ means ‘He whobestows souls’. Therefore, Siva Lingamreferred to as ‘thiru udaiyaar‐aaudaiyaar’ means, ‘He who bestowssalvation to souls’2. On the other hand, ‘nada’ points to Godthe ‘primordial sound source (ofCreation)’ and ‘bindu’ to the ‘focal point(of Creation)’. So, Siva Lingam referredto as ‘nada‐bindu’ means, the‘Primordial source and focal point ofCreation’. The ancient scriptures calledVathula Agamam as well as VidyeswaraSamhita in the Vedas talk about theSiva Lingam as nada‐bindu.3. The word ‘lingam’ refers to ‘symbol’ or‘depiction’ in Tamil and Sanskrit. It isderived from the combination of thetwo root words ‘layitthal’ and‘gambitthal’ in Tamil or ‘layam’ and‘kamba’ in Sanskrit. The first set ofwords in both languages refer to‘dissolution’ while the second literallymeans ‘shaken‘ ‐ referring to the cosmicmovements during creation/evolution.Taken together, these words provide
the meaning – the ‘occurrence ofdissolution and evolution’.There is yet another root word ‘lika’ inSanskrit that means ‘to sculpt’ and thisgives the meaning that the Siva Lingamrefers to Siva as the Grand Sculptor whosculpts (or creates) the Universe. ‘Yoni’,on the other hand, means ‘source’ or‘place’ in Sanskrit and refers to theplace where souls originally emergefrom and eventually immerse into. So,much to the contrary of perverseWestern commentaries, ‘yoni’ doesNOT refer to the female genital. SivaLingam referred to as ‘linga‐yoni means,the ‘place wherefrom dissolution andevolution occur’.Philosophyand is the principle of Divine Support,like a cosmic umbilical cord.The Siva Lingam is like a cosmic umbilical cordnourishing and sustaining the Universe3. As a vertically seated oval stone, theSiva Lingam depicts the shape of themacrocosm (Brahmanda or theUniverse) as well as the microcosm(atomic structure of all matter and theprimordial egg of all living things).The philosophy of the formless‐form state ofGod sheds even more light on the true meaningof Siva Lingam worship.1. In the Siva Lingam state, God is calledSadha Sivan (‘The Perpetual Lord’). Outof mercy, Siva assumes a cosmicformless‐form – from which theUniverse evolves and into which iteventually dissolves. This cycle ofCreation and Dissolution continuesendlessly by His Will and Grace. He isthe Sculptor of the Universe and theprimordial germ of cosmic appearance.The Siva Lingam is the physicalrepresentation of the formless God ‐referred to as nirguna Brahman(‘Cosmic Principle devoid of qualities’)2. As a vertical pillar, the Siva Lingam isdepicted as an endless column ofcosmic fire associated with Creation.So, the Siva Lingam is the solidifiedrepresentation of this Flame of CreationSiva Lingam depicts the shape of everything fromthe Universe to nuclear structure of atoms4. According to the monotheistic Saivareligion, due to Pati’s (or Lord’s)immense mercy towards pasu (orsouls), God assumes the form of acosmic Siva Lingam during Creation bymerging His Will (to create theUniverse) and His Grace (of creating it).Philosophically, God’s Will representsthe masculine element while His Gracerepresents the feminine. And thuscame about the theological concept of
Siva and Sakthi (God’s Will and God’sGrace) creating the Universe5. So, Saiva philosophy depicts the SivaLingam as an embodiment of theCosmic Consciousness (God’s Will) andCosmic Energy (God’s Grace) thatprecedes Creation (the Universe).LegendsThe Saiva tradition’s mythologies too impartimportant lessons in understanding the truemeaning of Siva Lingam:1. When the young girl Thaadakai, astaunch Siva devotee, bent forward togarland the Siva Lingam at the templeof Thiru Thaadakaiyecharam in ThiruPananthaal, the upper portion of hersari slip. Not wanting to lose hermodesty in the Lord’s sanctum andwithout wanting to drop the garlandmeant for Him, she held on to her sariin one hand and the garland for Siva inthe other. Siva lovingly resolved herpredicament by leaning forward thepillar of the Lingam in order for her toplace the garland around Him. So, thepillar of the Siva Lingam represents theLord’s head (see illustration below).2. When the boy sage Markandeya (son ofsage Mrikandu) was confronted by theswirling noose of the angel of death(Yaman), he sought Siva’s protectionand sat on the pedestal of the SivaLingam at the ancient temple of ThiruKadaiyur, clasping his arms around theSiva Lingam’s pillar with unshakeablefaith, like a child would sit on the lap,hugging the shoulders of his protectiveand loving father. Siva appeared fromthe pillar and, in a single kick, silencedYaman. Hence, Siva’s names KaalaKaalan (Death Destroyer) andMritunjayan (Death Conquerer). Again,the pillar of the Lingam is the torso ofSiva’s Maheswara form (see below).3. When Thinnan (the blessed devoteelater named as Kannappa by Lord SivaHimself), a hunter prince went on hishunting expedition at mount ThiruKaalathi, he had a first glimpse of theancient Siva Lingam called KudumiThevar – a unique Lingam indeed as itbore a pair of eyes on the pillar’s upperportion. He fell in inseparable love withthe Lord and used his spear to gorgeout one of his eyes to place on theLingam’s eye that had suddenly beganto bleed. He was about to repeat hisultimate sacrifice upon seeing thesecond eye of the Lingam bleed. Sivaappeared from the Lingam and stoppedhim, restored his vision and blessedKannappa with eternal bliss. Here, theLingam’s pillar symbolises Siva’s head.
4. When the devas Brahma and Vishnufought over their supremacy, AlmightySiva appeared before them as anendless column of fire and challengedthem to locate the extremities of thisflaming continuum. After millennia offutile effort, their hearts shed thedarkness of their egos and they humblyaccepted their inferiority.Siva then appeared in the midst of thisfire pillar, enlightening them that thetwosome and Rudra were really bornout of Him and that it was He who hadassigned them their cosmic duties ofcreation, sustenance, and dissolution.Siva then explained how He mergedHimself with Rudra to perform the roleof dissolution while personallyassuming the two other roles ofconcealment and enlightenment. ThisAnnamalaiyaar or Lingothbhava legendsignifies that the Siva Lingam is really asolidified miniature representation ofthe Great Flame that is God Himself.Annamalaiyaar or Lingothbava statue shows Sivaappearing to Vishnu and Brahma inside of theendless pillar of flame5. In the epic Ramayanam, Rama (one ofthe Vishnu’s incarnations) and his wifeSeetha install a Lingam and worshipLord Siva in order to rid themselves ofthe sin of having caused the death ofRaavana (the demon king of Sri Lankawho was great Siva devotee). ThisLingam is worshipped till today asRamalingeswarar in the seaport ofRameswaram in Tamil Nadu.It is clearly apparent then that the SivaLingam is a symbol of the auspicious(sin‐purging) and benevolent (forgiving)God of the Universe.ScripturesFinally, the Saiva scriptures – the SanskritVedas, Agamas, as well as the 12 TamilThirumurai and the Puranams – assert withauthority that the Siva Lingam symbolizes theSupreme Being which stands for God Himselfand that it is the seed and seat of the endlesscosmic process of evolution and dissolution.
1. 4 Vedas (‘Knowledge Sources’) – anAtharva Veda samhita (‘collection ofhymns’) praises the lingam as Yupa‐Stambha (‘sacrificial pillar’), which itdescribes as the solidified formless formof the resplendent sacrificial firerepresentative of the Almighty. In thathymn a description is found of thebeginningless and endless Stambha thatis said to be put in place of the eternalAlmighty. The Yupa‐Stambha is believedto have given place in time to the SivaLingam as we know it today. TheStambha (or Skambha) is believed to bea cosmic column or scaffold thatfunctions as a bond which joins heavenand earth.pillar’), atma lingam (‘seat of souls’),and as Siva lingam (‘Siva’s Emblem’).The great Sage Vasishta refers to Siva as‘Jothi Rupa’ or ‘Flame Shaped’, statingthat from that ‘Flame of immeasurableeffulgence’, everything in this Universedeveloped 34 billion years ago (modernscience’s believes the Universe to be13.77 billion years old).See the resemblance between the shape of aflame and the pillar of a Siva LingamA pair of Stambha at a sacrificial fire ritual site inDholavira, at the ancient Indus Valley HarappanCivilization, Gujarat, IndiaIn response to questions from theGerman scholar Gustav Oppert at theCongress of the History of Religionsheld in Paris in 1900, SwamiVivekananda cites this Vedic referenceto debunk, as a thoughtless imaginaryinvention, the flawed Western view ofSiva Lingam as a phallic symbol.The Linga Sooktham hails the Lingamvariously as oordhva‐lingam (‘upwardclimbing fire pillar’), hiranya‐lingam(‘molten gold pillar’), suvarna‐lingam(‘shining pillar’), divya‐lingam (‘Emblemof Divinity’), jwala lingam (‘sparkling2. 28 Siva Agamas (‘Doctrines from SaivaTradition’) – Vayu Samhita describesBrahma and Vishnu’s fight: “To putdown their pride and to enlighten them,a Maha Lingam (‘Great Pillar’) aroseamidst them, a wonderful lingamsymbolising Isvara (‘Supreme Lord’),shining with thousands of fiery beams,an immeasurable, and unrivalled formvoid of decay and growth, as well asbeginning, middle and end. Brahma andVishnu were stunned by the multitudesof fiery‐beams”
Maha Lingam is an endless pillar of fiery beamsSiva Agamas refer to seven kinds ofLingams ‐ Gopuram, Sikaram, Dvaram,Prakaram, Balipeetakam, Archakam,and Mulalingam – i.e. a Siva Temple’stower, dome, gateway, courtyard,sacrificial pedestal, sanctum, and mainSiva Lingam. Collectively called‘lingam’, they all represent God.Stunning side view of the magnificentPeruvudaiyaar (Bragatheswarar) or 'Big' Temple,Tanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India. Note the mammothtemple tower resembling a Siva Lingam3. 18 Puranas (‘Ancient Legends’) ‐ thesublime meaning of Siva Lingam isexpounded in the Kurma, Vayu, Linga,and Siva Puranas. The Siva Purana saysthat the Siva Lingam is a symbol givento the Shapeless Supreme so as to shedlight on the nature of this Being. Itasserts that the owner of the Lingam isthe ‘Lingi’ (Eternal Siva) and that theLingam serves to lead souls to the Lingi.The Vidyesvara Samhita of the SivaPurana mentions that Isvara says:"Aham stambha roopena Avirasam" or“I appeared in the form of a pillar” andthat "First as a pillar and then as afigure did I appear”. This beginninglessand endless pillar of the macrocosmdwindles into everything in themicrocosm (even an atom) so that theworld may gaze at and worship it. Thesamhita asserts that the Siva Lingam isboth Pranavam (‘Primordial Sound ofCreation’) sculpted and symbolized(yanthram or symbol). According to theLinga Purana, the word ‘linga’ is used torefer to a visible symbol while ‘alinga’(‘that which has no visible symbol’) isused to refer to Siva’s unmanifestedstate, one beyond visible forms.4. 12 Thirumurai (‘Guide to Divine Grace’)‐ soul‐stirring devotional Tamil hymnscomposed by 27 Saiva authors between4th and 12th centuries AD. A Thevaram(‘Lord’s Garland’) by Thirunavukkarasarcalled Linga Puranam (‘Ancient Legendof Lingam’): ‘Red‐eyed Vishnu andBrahma between them searchedeverywhere but found not Siva; “Amhere” He said, revealing Himself in theLingam, the bright red matted hair Lordof Merits.’ (5.80.11)Manikkavasakar’s Thiruvasagam(‘Words of Divine Grace’): “As thetwosome known as Braman and Ariignorantly asserted, ‘Supreme, I am theSupreme’, Aran assumed the form of aLimitless Pillar of Flame and stoodSupreme before them; let’s sing anddance to reminisce that Lord!” (8.15.12)Thirumular’s Thirumanthiram (‘Mantrasof Divine Grace’): “Ayan who appeared,Maal, Rudran, Mahesan, strength‐
conferring Five‐Faced Sadasivan, loftyBindu and Nadam, the grace‐conferringSakthi and Sivan; for all these forms, theLingam is the common symbol. So, oneshould realize and worship theFormlessSiva as well in this formless form”.(10.7.7.4)Sekkizhar’s Periya Puranam (‘GreatAncient Legend’): “For the unseenformlessness and the seen form, thesymbol and source is Siva Lingam, whichindeed is the Lord adorned with a longsnake, He, in all grace, manifested intheir midst as a fire pillar piercing theupper and nether worlds.” (12.3463)This common law of degeneration of words wascompounded by the influx into India of Muslimconquerers, colonial powers as well as Christianmissionaries ‐ leading to the advent of ahitherto non‐existent nexus between the Greekphallic worship and that of the Siva Lingam.Ignorance apart, ill‐intent aimed at discreditingnative religious practices would also haveplayed a part in driving the misinterpretations.Ironically, when such inflammatoryinterpretations became the subject of so‐calledWestern ‘scholarly’ work from the 19th century,it struck a chord with some indigenous peopleenamoured by the perverse Greco‐Westernview of the Siva Lingam as an icon of fertility.Summary and ConclusionWhy the MisinterpretationsIt is amply obvious from the foregoing analysisthat, in the entire breadth and depth of Saivareligious literature, there is not an iota ofreference to the lingam as a fertility symbol(unlike in the case of the Greek religion wherePriapus was overtly depicted and worshipped asa phallic deity). So, why then the grossmisinterpretations? Here are some reasons.While the word ‘lingam’ originally referredspecifically to the symbol of the formless‐formof God, with the passage of time it becamematerially detached from this meaning andbegan referring symbols (or kuRi in Tamil) ingeneral. The word came to refer to anydistinguishing mark – human body (piNdalingam), Universe (aNda lingam), male andfemale genitals (aaN kuRi and peN kuRi),exclamation and question marks (aachariyakuRi and keLvi kuRi). So, somewhere during theevolution of the word ‘lingam’, it took on areference to ‘genital’ due to the confusionbetween ‘Siva Lingam’ (symbol of God) and‘lingam’ (any symbol) as well as between themeanings of the words ‘symbol’ and ‘genital’.For those wise enough to cast aside thesemeaningless misinterpretations, the SivaLingam is verily a set of cosmic principles:1. Sacred principle – the most ancientand widespread Object of WorshipAn amazing 6,000 year old granite Siva Lingamfound in Sudwara Cave, South Africa
2.Symbolic principle – a universalEmblem of the One Formless Supreme5. Spiritual principle – the philosophylinking souls, Universe, and God.Ancient Siva Lingam known as Lia Fáil (Stone ofDestiny) on Tara Hill, County Meath, Ireland3. Scientific principle – the Seed & Seat ofthe Universe’s Evolution & DissolutionThe Pillar of Siva Lingam is efficient cause andpedestal is instrumental cause of the Universe4. Subtle principle – a solidified miniaturerepresentation of the Divine Flame ofCosmic CreationSiva Lingam is a flame‐shaped Symbol of CreationDevotees (signifying the soul) prostrating at themajestic sight of Mount Kailai or Kailash(signifying God), Lord Siva’s mysterious snow‐draped abode in the Himalayan mountain range(signifying the Universe). Notice how MountKailash looks exactly like a Siva Lingam smearedin holy ash, and with even a Nandhi‐like naturalformation just in front of it!In conclusion, in spite of the numerousblasphemous interpretations found in modernday literature, there is absolutely no referenceto human genitals or to fertility worship in theentire spectrum of the typology, geometry,etymology, philosophy, legends, and scripturespertaining to the Siva Lingam. So, to suggestthat the central element of the Saiva religion isbased on sexual iconography is not only highlyoffensive but totally misguided. Saiva peoplethe world over do know that the fundamentalbelief system of the Saiva religion is that, in thekarmic cycle, human life represents a preciousopportunity for souls to eternally redeemthemselves from the vicious cycle of birth anddeath. And this can only be achieved byprogressively shifting one’s attachment awayfrom material and bodily pleasures towardsspirituality and total surrender to God.This principle is symbolised in Siva Temples ‐where the pali peetam (sacrificial pedestal)
outside of the main sanctum represents thediscarding of the soul’s bondage to ego, karma,illusion; the Nandhi (sacred bull) that sits aheadof the pali peetam signifies the soul that seeksGod; and the Siva Lingam (formless form) in thesanctum sanctorum represents God Almighty.It is easy to discern the complete disconnectbetween such a pristine belief system andsomething as base as phallic worship.It is critical for Saiva devotees, then, toendeavour to understand the true philosophy ofSiva Lingam and its worship and then to activelytake the lead to impart the correct views tofellow believers and others. Only then can themuch deserving sanctity of this timeless andsupreme religious symbol be duly restored andupheld as “nothing in all the world is moredangerous than sincere ignorance andconscientious stupidity” (Martin Luther King Jr).May Almighty Lord Siva guide us all onto theright path!SIVAYANAMAReferences1.The complete Works of Swami Vivekananda2.Swami Vivekananda at the Paris Congress of the History of Religions3.Dance of Siva by S. Anandacoomaraswamy4.Lord Shiva by Swami Sivananda of the Divine Life Society5.Lord Shiva by Dr.(Mrs) Shantha N.Nair6.The symbolism & Worship of Shiva Lingam by V.Jayaram7.Shiva Linga by S. Sabaratna Mudaliyar8.Shiva Lingam – A symbol of science by Dr.P. Vartak9.The Significance Of Shiva Lingam And Its Influence In Sri Lanka by Ayathuray Rajasingam10. Shaivam.Org11. The Inner Meaning of the Siva Linga – A. Rengasamy Iyer12. Tamil Wikipedia
13. Sivalinga, The Symbol, The Mystery – Gautam Chatterjee14. Bharatkalyan97.blogspot.sg – Saraswati Research Centre – Srinivasan Kalyanaraman
Maanuda lingam are further classified into agni lingam (where the upper portion is pillar‐like) and jala lingam (upper part is a relatively small and smooth elliptical stone). Lingams are made from six main types of materials ‐ precious stones (ratnajam), stone or rock (shailajam),
