Shaligram

Shila, (शिला in Devanagari, śila in IAST) or Shaligram refers to a fossilized shells used in South Asia as an aniconic symbol and reminder of god Vishnu as the Universal Principle by some Hindus. Shaligram is usually collected from river beds or banks. It is considered easy to carry and popular in certain traditions of Vaishnavism, as an aniconic representation of the divine. It is typically in the form of a spherical, usually black-coloured Ammonoid fossil.

Shiva worshipers use nearly round or oval shaped Shaligrams to worship as Shiva Linga. They are sometimes referred to as Shilas, with Shila being the shortened version.

Use

Although Hinduism has many anthropomorphic murtis (images) of gods, aniconism is equally represented with such abstract symbols of God such as the Saligrama.

These Shaligram/Shalagrams can be collected only from Gandaki river in Nepal.

History

Historically, the use of Shaligrama (or Salagrama) Shilas in worship can be traced to the time of Adi Shankara through the latter's works. Specifically, his commentary to the verse 1.6.1 in Taittiriya Upanishad and his commentary to the verse 1.3.14 of the Brahma Sutras suggest that the use of Saligrama in the worship of Vishnu has been a well-known Hindu practice.

Saligrama (disambiguation)

Saligram or Saligrama may refer to: