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lingam
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Shiva lingam and offerings Lingodbhavamurti sandstone linga
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Shiva lingam and offerings
Shiva lingam and offerings Flowers adorning a Shiva lingam placed in a yoni; at the Patan Museum, Kathmandu, Nepal.

lingam

Hindu symbol
Also known as: linga
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History

lingam, in Hinduism, a votary object that symbolizes the god Shiva and is revered as an emblem of generative power. The lingam appears in Shaivite temples and in private shrines throughout India. In Shaivite temples the lingam is often at the center, surrounded by murtis (sacred images of deities). In contrast to the latter, the lingam is distinctively aniconic. It is a smooth cylindrical mass. Often it rests in the center of a lipped, disk-shaped...

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