Saturday, September 25, 2010

Lotsa Lingams

 Dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, it's no surprise that the Ekambareshvara Temple of Kanchipuram is resplendent with lots of lingams.  Along the edge of the Aayiram Kaal Mandapam, one can see nearly cookie-cutter lingams. Although I didn't count, there are 1,008 lingams at the temple.
These non-iconic representations of Shiva are used for worship in temples. Flowers are commonly draped or sprinkled over the top portion. Some say that the Shiva lingam is a phallic symbol, but this is not widely agreed upon.
According to TempleNet: The Lingam is a symbol. It is a symbol of that which is invisible yet omnipresent. It is hence a a visible symbol of the Ultimate Reality which is present in us (and in all objects of creation ).
The Shivalingam denotes the primeval energy of the Creator.It is believed that at the end of all creation, during the great deluge, all of the different aspects of God find a resting place in the Lingam; Bhrama is absorbed into the right, Vishnu to the left and Gayatri into the heart. The Shivalingam is also a representation of the infinite Cosmic Column of fire, whose origins, Vishnu and Bhrama were unable to trace.

No comments: