Lingam

"Linga" and "Shivling" redirect here. For other uses, see Linga (disambiguation) and Shivling (disambiguation).

A lingam with tripundra, projected on a yoni base
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A lingam (Sanskrit: लिङ्ग IAST: liṅga, lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism.[1] The word lingam is found in the Upanishads and epic literature, where it means a "mark, sign, emblem, characteristic,"[2] the "evidence, proof, symptom" of God and God's power.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

The lingam of the Shaivism tradition is a short cylindrical pillar-like symbol of Shiva, made of stone, metal, gem, wood, clay or precious stones.[1][7] It is often represented within a disc-shaped platform,[1][8] the yoni – its feminine counterpart,[9][10] consisting of a flat element, horizontal compared to the vertical lingam, and designed to allow liquid offerings to drain away for collection.[11]

The lingam is an emblem of generative and destructive power. While rooted in representations of the male sexual organ,[12] the lingam is regarded as the "outward symbol" of the "formless Reality", the symbolization of merging of the 'primordial matter' (Prakṛti) with the 'pure consciousness' (Purusha) in transcendental context.[13] The lingam-yoni iconography symbolizes the merging of microcosmos and macrocosmos,[10] the divine eternal process of creation and regeneration, and the union of the feminine and the masculine that recreates all of existence.[11][14]

The lingam is typically the primary murti or devotional image in Hindu temples dedicated to Shiva, also found in smaller shrines, or as self-manifested natural objects.[15][16]

  1. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference Britannica was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference mmw901 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Bonnefoy1993p38 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Kramrisch 1994, p. 221.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ger Wuj 01 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Larson2001p190 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Kramrisch 1994, p. 217.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference sivaya subramuniyaswami 2001 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference dasgupta107 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ a b Beltz, Johannes (1 March 2011). "The Dancing Shiva: South Indian Processional Bronze, Museum Artwork, and Universal Icon". Journal of Religion in Europe. 4 (1). Brill Academic Publishers: 204–222. doi:10.1163/187489210x553566. S2CID 143631560.
  11. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference britannica was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Doniger 2011, pp. 493–498.
  13. ^ Grimes 1996, p. 17.
  14. ^ James G. Lochtefeld (2001). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Volume 2. The Rosen Publishing Group. p. 784. ISBN 978-0-8239-3180-4. Archived from the original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  15. ^ Johnson, W.J. (2009). A dictionary of Hinduism (1st ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780191726705. Archived from the original on 18 March 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2016.(subscription or UK public library membership required)
  16. ^ Fowler, Jeaneane (1997). Hinduism: Beliefs and Practices. Brighton: Sussex Academic Press. pp. 42–43. ISBN 978-1-898723-60-8.