Ling Worship in India

Tilak 1

Shantanu Tilak

Viraj Shah

Iconography

7 February 2014.

LINGA PUJA: A RECURRENT THEME IN INDIAN RELIGION

Religious customs that exist across the world often pique

our curiosity. There are some very peculiar customs that are

prevalent even today. Phallic worship is one such peculiar

custom. Worship of the phallus is one of the oldest customs in

our universe. Rites related to phallic worship have changed

through the centuries, but the object of reverence (the

phallus itself) has remained constant.1 Across the world, there

are several traditions that promote phallic worship. This

research paper aims to briefly analyse the custom of phallic

worship across different cultures but focuses mainly on linga

worship in India, with the concept of Shiva being worshipped

as a phallic deity at the forefront. It also discusses the

evolution and types of the linga, and the methods of worship.

PHALLIC WORSHIP ACROSS CULTURES

1 Mack, Allen. Phallic Worship: World-Wide and Centuries Long. JMS Books

LLC. 2012. Pg.1. Print.

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Even though the primary focus of this research paper is

detailing phallic worship in India, it is important to note

that there are examples of phallic worship in other countries

across the world, dating back to ancient times as well as the

present.

PHALLIC WORSHIP FROM THE PAST

THE ASSYRIANS

Assyria was a kingdom situated in northern Mesopotamia.

It was considered to be the centre of one of the largest

empires of the Middle East. It corresponds to modern day

Turkey and Iraq. It first sprung up as an independent state in

the 14th Century BC and later established its power in

Mesopotamia.2

Among the inhabitants of the Assyrian kingdom, the God

Bel was considered to be ‘the procreator’. His wife is the

Goddess Mylitta, and is considered to be the queen of

fertility. Another deity, named Vul, is the god of the

atmosphere, and worshipped as a giver of abundance. On

Assyrian cylinders, he is portrayed to be a phallic deity. His

consort is the Goddess Shala. Thus, Assyrian culture is a good

example of phallic worship from ancient times.3

2 "Assyria". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.

Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 06 Feb. 2014

<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/39555/Assyria>.

3 Westropp, Hodder. On Phallic Worship. Journal of the Anthropological Society of India.

Vol.8. Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. Pg.

cxxxviii. Web. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3025178?seq=3

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/39555/Assyria

http://www.jstor.org/stable/3025178?seq=3

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THE PHOENICIANS

Phoenicia is a historical settlement which corresponds to

modern day Lebanon. It also includes the adjoining areas of

Israel and Syria. The people that inhabited the area were

mainly merchants, craftsmen, trader and colonizers of the

realm of the Mediterranean in the 1st Millenium BC. 4

According to Phoenician mythology, Ouranos and Gaia mated

and produced multiple Gods such as Kronos, Ipaetus, Hyperon

and Oceanus. Virgil has said that the products of the Earth

were a result of copulation between Jupiter and Juno. St.

Augustin has said that the sexual organs of a man were

consecrated at the temple of Liber and those of a woman at the

sanctuaries of Libera to orchestrate the synthesis of the

products of the Earth. They were then named father and mother

respectively. 5

Roman culture describes a festival in which women carry a

phallic structure to the temple of Venus outside the Colline

gate and present it to the reproductive parts of the Goddess

during the month of April, when the productive powers of the

4 "Phoenicia". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.


<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/457123/Phoenicia>.


Vol.8. Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. 1878.

Pg. cxxxviii. Web. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3025178?seq=3


http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/457123/Phoenicia

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Earth are at their peak. Similar festivals related to

fertility are also carried out in certain religious groups of

America, as well as some isolated islands in the Pacific

Ocean.6 Thus, there have been, and still are, several

traditions that lay emphasis on the maintaining the fertility

of the Earth, and these often involve the phallus as a symbol

of prosperity and fertility.

EXAMPLES OF PHALLIC WORSHIP THAT ARE PREVALENT TODAY

THE HOUNEN FERTILITY FESTIVAL

A good example of phallic worship that is practiced today as

well is the Hounen Fertility festival in Komaki Japan. On

March 15th of every year7, devotees carry the ‘dankon’, or

large wooden phalli are carried from the Kumano-jinja shrine

to the Tagata-jinja shrine in the form of a procession. The

phallus, which is two and a half meters long and weighs around


Vol.8. Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. 1878.

Pg. cxxxviii. Web. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3025178?seq=3

7 Honen Matsuri (Harvest Festival) at Tagata Shrine (Jinja/ Temple). Japan

Guides Online. N.p. n.d. Web. http://www.japanguides.net/aichi/honen-

matsuri-harvest-festival-at-tagata-shrine-jinja-temple.html

http://www.japanguides.net/aichi/honen-matsuri-harvest-festival-at-tagata-shrine-jinja-temple.html



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four hundred kilograms is an offering to Mitoshi-kami (the God

of fertility) to ask for a bountiful harvest.8

PHALLIC WORSHIP IN BHUTAN

Tourists visiting Bhutan have been intrigued by the

customs of phallic worship practiced there. Large paintings of

phalluses are often hung up outside households.9 This custom of

phallic worship is drawn from the story of the Flaming

Thunderbolt of the divine madman: Lama Drukpa Kunley.

According to what is told by the myth connected to this

practice, the phalluses that have been represented as

paintings have the ability to protect the inhabitants of

whatever structure they are hung up on.10 Thus, apart from

fertility, protection is another concept that is associated

with the phallus.

8Tagata Shrine Hônen Festival festival for fertility 豊豊豊豊 hônen-matsuri.

Japanese Photo Archives. N.p. n.d. Web. http://www.japan-photo.de/e-

frucht.htm

9 Skoch, Iva. Wanderlust: Penis worship in Bhutan.Global Post Online.

January 4, 2011. Web.

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/asia/101227/penis-travel-bhutan

10 Grunert, Peter. Bhutan, the Kingdom of the Clouds. BBC Online. May 17,

2012. Web. http://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20120416-kingdom-in-the-

clouds-of-bhutan/2

http://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20120416-kingdom-in-the-clouds-of-bhutan/2



http://www.japan-photo.de/e-frucht.htm


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FREUD AND HIS ROLE IN POPULARIZING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE

PHALLUS

Freud put forward a lot of comprehensive discourse about

how sexuality controlled the lives of people. Even though his

own son Jung disagreed with his theories and arguments, Freud

played an important role in bringing sexuality to the

forefront with regards to academia and human behaviour. He was

the first to discuss sexual repression and its impacts on

human behavior and mental health.11

Semitic religion totally demolished paganism, and also

obliterated the powerful image of the phallus from religious

customs. Freud was responsible for bringing the phallus and

along with it the concept of phallic worship to the forefront

of modern discourse, by making arguments initially based upon

sexual repression and later called the phallus ‘a symbol of

power’. Freud brought back the image of the phallus despite

the fact that it was ‘castrated’ from the cloud of thought of

the West.12

11 Manola K., Gayatri. Interpreting symbolism of the Linga: Contrasting

Freudian analysis with ideas of the Indian Linga Cult. N.p. n.d. pg. 1.

Web.

https://www.academia.edu/3389048/Interpreting_the_Symbolism_of_the_Linga_Be

tween_Freud_and_early_Indian_Linga_Cults

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Freud’s theories about sexuality laid emphasis on the

phallus, and often discussed the complexes associated with it-

for men who possessed one, and in terms of females, who lacked

one as well. Freud’s point of view greatly affected the

reading of visual art as well as symbols of cultural

significance. To Freud, all pointy, long objects such as

umbrellas, pens et.al. were considered As phallic symbols.

Taking all these factors into consideration, he put forth the

Oedipus Complex theory and said that boys often deal with

Castration Anxiety and girls with penis Envy.13 Thus, Freud

played an important role in bringing topics related to

sexuality to the forefront.

LINGA WORSHIP IN INDIA: ORIGIN

There is much speculation about the origins of ling

worship in India. Until recent times, it was believed that the12 Manola K., Gayatri. Interpreting symbolism of the Linga: Contrasting


Web.





Web.



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practice of phallic worship or linga worship in India has its

roots in a relatively later period, but not before the

Imperial Gupta Period. 14Seals in Harappa indicate that the

linga cult may be around 5000 years old. This conclusion was

drawn my Sir John Marshall and several other renowned experts

such as A Aiyappan. However these claims have later been

disputed by archaeologists like Doris Srinivasan, who has

stated that the structure represents a ‘divine bull man’.

However, the very prominent erect phallus depicted may

indicate that it was an object of worship. 15Speculation about

the antiquity of the linga cult has been supported through the

comprehensive analysis of several other archaeological finds

as well. A clay seal from Basarh depicting a linga and yoni

was speculated to be the earliest depiction of phallic worship

in India. In the Archaeological Report presented in 1907-1908,

a miniature linga as well as a yoni were described, which were

recovered from the areas located north of the Dhamek Stupa

14 Sur K., Atul. Beginnings of the Linga Cult in India. Annals of the

Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute. Published by the Bhandarkar

Oriental Research Institute. 1931. Pg.149. Web.

http://www.jstor.org/stable/41688232



Web.



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Sarnath. Both the aforementioned specimens were found to

belong to the same period upon being dated. They gave a

foundation to the timeline of the Linga Cult in India. 16

Further knowledge was obtained from the Archaeological

Report of 1909-1910, by R.D. Banerji, which described a Shiva-

linga from Bhita, preserved at the Lucknow Museum.

Inscriptions show that it dates back to the 1st Century BC.

Other valuable artefacts include a phallus symbol unearthed at

Gudimallan, which is a village located six miles north east of

Renigunta, which was described by T.G. Rao in the

Archaeological Report. It depicted the human phallus in a very

realistic and also bore the symbol of Shiva on its front

facet, and is,till date, worshipped by locals of the area, who

call it ‘Parmeshvara’. It has been seen that the structure

bears resemblance to the Yaksha sculpture at Sanchi , and

hence it has been dated to around the second century BC. 17









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Rigvedic passages provide references regarding linga

worship and date it back to a millennium and a half earlier

than the previously mentioned dates.18 These texts describe how

Indra was prayed to in order to hinder the worshippers to

Shishna19 (Shishna literally means ‘phallus’ or ‘phallic

deity’)20, from disturbing the rites of singers. Another

reference is made to these worshippers of a ‘phallic deity’ in

the stories recounted by the singers of how they destroyed the

cities inhabited by these worshippers. These references point

out the existence of a phallic cult during Vedic times.21 From 18 Sur K., Atul. Beginnings of the Linga Cult in India. Annals of the






Web.



20 A Newsletter Archive from Exotic Indian Art. The Forms of Shiva in Visual

Arts. ExoticIndiaArt.2006. pg. 5. Web.

http://shivarea.com/_literature_41687/Forms_of_Shiva



Web.


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all this evidence, we can speculate that the concept of linga

worship originated as early as the Indus Valley Civilization.

Artefacts of possible divine significance bearing phallic

symbolism have also been found at Indus Valley sites, and this

further fuels this possibility. 22 The material evidence as

well as the aforementioned Rigvedic passages indicate that the

inhabitants of the prosperous settlements of the Indus Valley

did practice some form of phallic worship.23

Prehistoric archaeological finds may allow us to push

back the origin of the linga cult ato a millennium and a half

earlier. These finds include phallic earthenware unearthed

from several areas of Baroda in Gujarat and a phallic symbol

found in the excavations at the Shevaroy hills in the Salem

district, preserved as a part of the Foote collection at the




Web.



23Sur K., Atul. Beginnings of the Linga Cult in India. Annals of the




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Madras Museum. The latter has been speculated to have been

used for icon worship or as some sort of a charm to ward off

fertility.24

Linguistic paleontology has helped us to throw more light

onto the origin of phallic worship in India. In his research

paper on “Non-Aryan Loans in Indo Aryan”, linguistic

palaeontologist Przyluski has proved that the words ‘lingala’

(plough) and ‘linga’ (manhood or phallus) have the same

connotation or meaning as well as Austro Asiatic roots. He has

explicitly stated that the word ‘linga’ when considered

meaning ‘phallus’ has equivalents in the Non-Aryan languages

of the East, but none in the Indo-European languages of the

Aryan people in the West. The Sanskrit equivalent i.e.

langalam, has both physiological as well as agricultural

connotation, which is not hard to relate to. This shows that

the concept of phallic worship was borrowed by some Indo-

Aryans from the aborigines of India, who had prior knowledge

of this custom. The paucity of this custom in Indo-Aryan

regions fuels the plausibility of this data.25





25Sur K., Atul. Beginnings of the Linga Cult in India. Annals of the



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The epics contain several references to phallic worship.

For example, Ravana is shown to have possessed a golden linga

as an object of worship, since he was a devout disciple of

Shiva. The linga cult is depicted as an Aryan cult for the

first time in the epics, but in the Rigvedic texts, it is

regarded as a Non-Aryan cult. Thus, when it comes to origin,

the linga cult in India has non-Aryan roots. It dates back to

Neolithic times and also flourished during the times of the

Indus Valley civilization, as inferred from the references in

the Rigveda. The concept of phallic worship was integrated

into Shaivism during the epic period.26 Thus, phallic worship

is quite an ancient tradition in India, and has been vastly

studied by archaeologists and other experts, including

linguistic palaeontologists, all of who helped to trace its

origin.

THE SHIVA LINGA






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Shiva is one of the Gods of the triad including Brahma

and Vishnu. He is considered as the ‘Destroyer’ whereas the

other two are the ‘Creator’ and the ‘Protector’ respectively.

He is often depicted as an ascetic, living in the Himalayan

mountains with his wife, Parvati. He possesses a trident,

wears a black serpent around his neck, accompanied by a

necklace of skulls. His vahana is a white bull named Nandi. He

wears a cloth made of tiger skins and also wears a crescent

moon in his matted ‘jata’, which was presented to him as his

share of the products obtained after the oceans were churned

into place. He has three eyes, the third being on his

forehead, and they represent the three Vedas or the three

phases of time- past, present and future.27 The Ganges river is

intertwined in his matted hair, since he was the one that

protected the Earth by mitigating the damage the Ganges would

have caused by crashing down onto the Earth with full force. 28

Though Shiva’s human form is described with great detail

in the Puranas, he is most often worshipped in the form of a

lingam or phallus. It is not meant to make any form of an

offensive statement to those unacquainted with the myths

associated with this practice of phallic worship. However, the

fact that it represents the male and female reproductive

27 Wilkins, W J. Shiva. Hindu Mythology. Kessinger Publishing. 2004. Pg.271.

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organs makes it hard for people to worship it without impure

thoughts springing up in their minds.29

EVOLUTION OF THE SHIVA LINGA OVER TIME

The Guddimallam LInga in Andhra Pradesh dating back to

around the 2nd-1st Century BCE is considered to be the most

ancient archaeological specimen with respect to linga worship

in India. From the initial realistic and crude representation

of the linga, its depiction has developed into a fairly

stylistic and compact form. The lingas from Aravalem as well

as Mathura feature this sort of a simplistic representation.

Later lingas feature three parts, the bottom two being

inserted into a yoni. The top portion represents Shiva.

Another later llinga is the Mukhalinga, which depicts faces or

heads on the main structure. The several types of lingas have

been discussed in a later section of this research paper.30


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30 Shah, Viraj. Iconography. Class Notes. Print.

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MYTHS ASSOCIATED WITH THE WORSHIP OF THE SHIVA LINGA

SHIVA CASTRATES HIMSELF: A MYTH FROM THE SHIVA PURANA

This myth is found in the Shiva Purana, and describes how

Lord Shiva established his supremacy over Brahma and Vishnu.

When the universe was being recreated from destruction (Shiva

orchestrates the process of destruction or ‘pralaya’) and was

in the stages of being just one large ocean, the three Gods of

the triad (Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva) arose from the oceans.

The Earth was devoid of substance; it was just one giant

casket filled to the brim with monumental waters. 31

Brahma embraced the Shakti (creative power, manifested as

a Goddess) of Lord Shiva and told him to perform the task of

creation. Upon hearing this, Shiva agreed to do so and plunged

into the ocean, but remained hidden for around a thousand

celestial years. After this long period of time had elapsed,

Vishnu told Brahma that he would grant him a Shakti that would

grant him the supreme power of creation. After Vishnu did so,

Brahma performed the monumental task of creation and filled

the universe from the heavens to the underworld with gods,

demons, serpents, Rakshasas as well as humans.32

31 Doniger, Wendy. Rudra and Shiva. Hindu Myths. Penguin Classics. 138.

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Upon seeing that Brahma had performed the task of

creation, Shiva was infuriated, and decided to destroy all

that had been created. He then breathed a massive flame which

burnt and ravaged all of Brahma’s creations.33 Brahma, upon

obersving the wrath of Shiva, was in total awe, and praised

him. He then advised Shiva to let the world be restored to

equilibrium through creation. Shiva responded by saying that

he would let Brahma do as he wishes with the excess energy

used by him for destruction. Brahma asked Shiva to transfer

all his power into the Sun, so that he can be the Supreme

Power- the creator, protector as well as the destroyer. Having

the power of the Sun, Shiva would be able to destroy the world

and envelop everything in fire at the end of his aeon.34

Amused by this, Shiva castrated himself and let his linga

fall to the ground, saying that the only good function of his

linga is for the creation of progeny. The linga broke through

the Earth and soared above into the skies, like a giant

pillar. Vishnu took the form of a boar and burrowed into the

ground, searching for the bottom, and Brahma searched for the

top, soaring into the sky as an elegant swan. Neither of them

could find its boundaries. 35After the two had given up on the

quest assigned to them, a celestial voice said that the linga 33 Doniger, Wendy. Rudra and Shiva. Hindu Myths. Penguin Classics. 139.

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of Lord Shiva, if worshipped with immense devotion would grant

all worldly desires. Hearing this, Brahma and Vishnu decided

to worship the linga with all their heart.36

SHIVA IS CASTRATED BY THE SAGES OF THE PINE FOREST: A MYTH FROM THE

BRAHMANDA PURANA

This myth is a slight twist on the one related to sage

Bhrigu, and recounts how Shiva was cursed by a group of sages

living in a hermitage within a pine forest. Shiva became

infuriated due to Sati’s death at Daksha’s sacrifice, and

began to roam around the pine forest, from hermitage to

hermitage. The wives of the Brahmins became attracted to him

and began to follow him from place to place. Thinking that he

was deluded and impure, and not realizing that he was lord

Shiva himself, the sages of the pine forest cursed Shiva to

lose his manhood.37

Upon the loss of Shiva’s manhood, the world plunged into

chaos. The celestial bodies were in a state of total

imbalance, the Sun gave no heat and the purifying flames had

no lustrous texture to them. Upon realizing something was

wrong, the sages went and consulted Brahma and retold the

sequence of events to him. Upon thinking for a while, Brahma

told the sages that the man they had cursed was no ordinary


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Brahmin, but Lord Shiva himself. Once Brahma interceded, the

sages decided to invoke Shiva, and reversed the curse through

reverence and worship.38 They then worshipped Shiva in the form

of a linga.39

CURSE OF THE SAGE BHRIGU: A MYTH FROM THE PADMA PURANA

According to the Padma Purana, the reason why lord Shiva

is worshipped in the form of a linga is the result of a curse

laid upon him by the sage Bhrigu.40 The myth is a Vaishnavite

one41, and describes how Sage Bhrigu was sent to discover which

of the Gods of the Triad (Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva) was the

greatest. Upon coming to Shiva’s abode, he was instructed by

the doorkeeper to wait outside, since Lord Shiva was with his

wife, Devi. Bhrigu obeyed orders, but upon waitingfor a long

time, his patience was exhausted. He cursed Shiva to be

worshipped as a linga, since he refused to meet the sage as a

direct consequence of his lust.42 38 Doniger, Wendy. Rudra and Shiva. Hindu Myths. Penguin Classics. 148.

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This myth is like a sort of reflection of the Daksha

myth, since both begin with a sacrificial congregation.

However Shiva is deprived of his share of the sacrifice, and

he is reduced from heterodoxy to orthodoxy. Since this myth is

a Vaishnavite one, it also describes Vishnu as being the

supreme God, and escapes unaffected, since he allows the

Brahmin to treat him in a condescending and contemptuous

manner, just as the Pine Forest sages tried to treat Shiva,

but in vain.43

TYPES OF LINGAS WORSHIPPED

There are several types of Shiva lingas worshipped in

Indian culture. A detailed account of all these types as well

as their subtypes has been given by Gopinath Rao. These

classifications have been made on the basis of data obtained

from Shaiva agamas as well as other texts. 44 Taking reference

from the Makutagama, the Sthiralingas or Achala lingas45

(immovable or permanent) are classified into the Daivika,

Arsaka, Ganapa and the Manusa lingas. The Kamikagama groups

classify the shiva lingas into six types namely the

Svayambhuva, Daivika, Arsaka, Ganapatya, Manusa and the 43 Doniger, Wendy. Rudra and Shiva. Hindu Myths. Penguin Classics. 149.

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44 Banerjea, Jitendra Nath. Siva. The Development of Hindu Iconography. Kessinger

Publishing. 2004. Pg.457. Print


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Banalingas.46 Svayambhuva lingas are considered to be the most

holy, since they are naturally occurring. They are said to

have existed since ‘time immemorial’. Chala lingas are movable

and temporary. They are often made of wood, clay, precious

stones or metal.47

Banalingas are naturally occurring stones that can be

obtained from the beds of holy rivers such as the Narmada, the

Ganga as well as the Reva. These are often carried by

Shaivites as symbols of ritual worship. 48 The manmade lingas

or the Manusa lingas comprise the largest category of lingas.

They are most often made up of three tiers- the first is the

square shaped lower section, the middle takes the shaped of an

octagon and the topmost tier is circular. The top tier is

called the Rudrabhaga and represents Lord Shiva. Offerings of

water and other ritualistic objects like flowers are made to

this portion, while the other two sections are inserted into a

pedestal as well as the ground. The Brhatasamhita mentions the

linga having a similar structure but does not explicitly name

each tier. Demarcations or lines on the structure called

Brahmasutras serve the purpose of distinguishing the nut from

the shaft.49






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As told by the Mukutagama, these brahmasutras or

demarcations are not supposed to be shown on the Daivika and

Arsaka lingas, which are associated with divinity, but can be

depicted on lingas made by human hands i.e. Manusa lingas. The

Manusa lingas are further subdivided into types based on the

proportions of the three tiers. These names include Sarvasana,

Vardhamana, Svastika, Sarvadesika and Trairasika. Siva lingas

can also be classified according to how the Rudrabhaga is

crafted. If the Rudrabhaga has fluted facets, which function

as a means of draining water, then it is called a Dharalinga.

The number of fluted facets, according to the Suprabhedagama,

is either five, seven, nine, twelve, sixteen, twenty four or

twenty eight50. The Astotarasatta and Sahasra lingas have 108

and 1000 emblems carved onto them respectively.51

Mukhalingas depict human heads carved onto the main

linga. It has been established by the Karanagama that the

mukhalinga must have faces measuring thirteen and a half

angalas, and can have either 5, 4 , 3 or 1 face (s) on them.

When the linga has one face, it is shown in the front. A three

headed one lacks a head at the back. It also mentions that the







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number of heads depicted ona linga are determined by the

number of doors to the shrine, but it has been observed that

this concept has not always been strictly followed. Similar

rules are laid down by the Rupadamana, but it has no mention

of five faced lingas. Four faced lingas, according to the

Rupadamana, have the western face white, the southern black

and ferocious looking, the northern face bright red, and the

eastern one the color of a warm, well kindled fire. The

Panchamukhalinga (having 5 heads) represents the five aspects

of Shiva namely- Sadyojata, Vamadeva, Aghora, Tatpurusa and

the final one- Isana, which has not been decoded by even the

Yogis.52

THE 12 JYOTIRLINGAS:

The Jyotirlingas are a set of 12 lingas situated across

India in elaborate shrines. They are, till date, worshipped by

several vehement devotees. Pilgrimages are widespread to these

special shrines. The Dvadasa Jyotirlinga prayer is said to

liberate all those who chant it of all their troubles.

Chanting this prayer is also believed to grant worshippers

enlightenment and freedom from the cycle of life. Eating the

holy offerings made to these lingas is said to free devotees

from all their sins.53 The twelve structures each have a

different name. They are: Vishwanath (Kashi), Mallikarjuna



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(Srisailam), Mahakaleshwar (Ujjain), Bhimashankar

(Maharashtra), Kedarnath (Uttarakhand), Omkareshwar (Madhya

Pradesh), Tryambakeshwar (Maharashtra), Nageshvar (Aundha-

Nagantha), Rameshwar (Tamil Nadu), Ghrushneshvar

(Maharashtra), Amarnath (Jammu & Kashmir) and Vaidyanatha

(Jharkhand).54

The Panchabhuta represent the five elements, we worship

and pray to them every day. The Gayatri mantra is said to

invoke only light, which has the ability to grant us divine

powers. The other elements are also capable of granting divine

gifts, when invoked with appropriate incantations and chants.

Therefore, by worshipping the twelve holy Jyotirlingas and the

auspicious aura that surrounds them, we can rid our lives of

darkness and obtain salvation.55

KEDARNATH PILGRIMAGE

In November, an idol of Lord Shiva is transported from

kedarnath to Ukhimath, and reinstated back to the former in

May. The shrine is open to pilgrims during this period of

time. It is closed in October-November, till April. When

closed, the shrine is immersed in snow and worship is

practiced at Ukhimath. The scenic view from the ancient shrine

is breathtaking. Kedarnath is situated at Uttarakhand, near 53JYOTIRLINGA: THE STORY OF THE LIGHT. Shaivam Online. N.p. n.d. Web.

http://www.shaivam.org/siddhanta/sp/spjyoti.htm

54 Shah, Viraj. Iconography. Class Notes.55 JYOTIRLINGA: THE STORY OF THE LIGHT. Shaivam Online. N.p. n.d. Web.




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the Mandakini river. The best time to visit is in the month of

October. One can take a Char Dham yatra during this time in

order to show the intensity of their devotion. The temple is

elaborate and extravagant in design. It is made up of stone,

and has a Grabha Griha for worship. It also possesses a

mandap, where pilgrims and worshippers gather. A statue of

Nandi (Shiva’s vahana; a bull) stands guarding the shrine.56

THE ICE LINGA AT THE AMARNATH CAVE IN KASHMIR

The ice linga at Amarnath is a Svayambhu linga, since it

is naturally occurring and hence is considered extremely holy.

The legend associated with the linga is quite elaborate. In

this particular cave, Shiva is said to have taught Parvati the

secret of creation and immortality. Two mating doves taking

shelter in the cave eavesdropped on their conversations and

hence upon learning the secret, became capable of being reborn

repeatedly. They made the cave their permanent place of

residence, and many travellers and pilgrims have reported

seeing the pair of doves as they approach the ice lingam

(phallic symbol of Lord Shiva), which is an ice stalagmite,

traversing through harsh paths. The ice linga waxes and wanes

with the moon. Bu its side are two other lingas, representing

Parvati and Ganesha.57 The path to Amarnath is long and harsh,

and tests the devotion of the pilgrim. The fact that so many

56 Kedarnath. Kedarnath Online. N.p. n.d. Web. http://www.badarikedar.org/kedarnath.aspx57 JYOTIRLINGA: THE STORY OF THE LIGHT. Shaivam Online. N.p. n.d. Web.



Tilak 26

devout worshippers make their way every July or August towards

the holy cave shows that it is of great religious

significance.58

HOW TO WORSHIP A LINGA

The worship of a linga is quite a simple process, but

there are several factors that affect how auspicious the

process of worship is. It is most beneficial to worship a

linga at midnight. The location is another major determining

factor.Worship in a cow shed, a temple, or at the banks of a

holy river is a lot more auspicious. The process is quite

straight forward. One must recite the mantra ‘Om Nama Shivaya’

during the process of worship. Offerings of either coconut

water, cow milk, betel oil and even flowers can be made.

Significance is also attached to applying bhasmas and also to

wearing rudrakshas.59

58 Pilgrimage to the Amarnath Cave. KOAUSA Online. N.p. n.d. Web.

http://www.koausa.org/Nature/amarnath.html

59 Worship Method of Shiva Lingas. Kamakoti Online. N.p. n.d. Web.

http://www.kamakoti.org/kamakoti/details/shivapuranam5.html


http://www.koausa.org/Nature/amarnath.html

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CONCLUSION:

Thus, phallic worship is quite a prevalent practice in

India, as well as other parts of the world, as described in

this comprehensive research paper. The custom may be slightly

odd, but the myths associated with it according to the Indian

school of thought have a deeper significance that enables us

to understand the existence of our world today, and how we

came into being. Therefore, we must leave all our corrupt

thoughts behind and make our devotion be heartfelt. Shiva is

only one single aspect to phallic worship. There are so many

other similar customs across the world that have a similar

concept, and this really gives us food for thought with

regards to sexual themes being incorporated into religion so

freely. It shows us that religion has no boundaries, and does

not hesitate to incorporate themes that are considered crass

or vulgar in everyday life.

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x-----------------------------------------------------

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