Post No. 15,182
Date uploaded in London – 14 November 2025
Contact – swami_48@yahoo.com
Pictures are taken from various sources for spreading knowledge.
this is a non- commercial blog. Thanks for your great pictures.
tamilandvedas.com, swamiindology.blogspot.com
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Badavilinga, Hampi
Tamil version will be posted tomorrow
Brahma Vishnu Shiva are the three gods forming Hindu Trinity.Lord shiva is worshipped in 64 forms according to Sivapurana . He is worshiped in linga form as well; it is a formless, shapeless stone or metal. It rests on a pedestal; such structures are seen from Kedarnath to Kedeeswaram in Sri Lanka. And we find ancient Lingas in South East Asian countries too. Of late Hindus have built modern Shiva temples in all the countries in the world. Naturally formed Kailash mountain in the shape of a huge linga has been in our literature for at least 2500 years.
God is with form or without form. Linga means a mak or a symbol. Sanskrit students learn grammar from the age of five with words like akaaraantha pull Lingah Rama Sabdah, ,Ekaarantha stree Lingah ….etc. In some places image of Shiva is shown inside Shiva linga and it is known as Lingodbhava Murti
in Madurai and other places, big temple are erected over lingams two thousand years ago. If thousand mini lingas re sculpted over a linga statue it is called Sahasra Linga.
In Amarnath and other places even naturally formed ice lingas are worshipped. If they appear naturally then they are called Swaambu / spontaneous ingas.
It is a common adage that Siva is fond of bathing as Vishnu is fond of decoration. And so there is aways a copper vessel with a hole at the bottom hanging over the linga with dripping water. And the base or the pedestal of the linga is designed in such a way the water is drained off. The base is called Yoni in Sanskrit and Aavudaiyaar in Tamil.
Shiva abhishekap priyah
Vishnu alankaara priyah
Linga is considered as a symbol of Brahman. The quadrangular bottom of the shaft represents Brahma and the octagonal middle Vishnu and the circular upper portion Siva.
Sometimes a single linga is called Sahasra/ thousand linga. It is divided into 25 facets each of these latter having miniature representations of forty lingas and making up thus the number one thousand .
Sahasra = Aayiram in Tamil ; thousand in English
Huge lingams are found in Thanjavur, Gangakonda Cozapuram in Tamil Nadu.
Chenkal in Kerala
Twelve Most Famous Linga Temples in India
1. Mallikarjunam in Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh
2. Mahakalam in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh
3. Kusmesam near Aurangabad, Maharashtra
4. Omkareswar in Omkaram on Narmadha, Indore (M.P)
5. Vaidhyanatham in Bihar
6. Bimasankaram in Maharashtra
7. Trayambakeswar in Maharashtra
8. Kedarnath in Uttar Pradesh
9. Visveswar in Benares, Uttar Pradesh
10.Rameswaram in Tamilnadu
11.Nagesam in Dwaraka, Gujarat
12.Somanatham in Saurastra, Gujarat
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Karnataka- Cambodia Sahsralingas
“Sahasraliṅgeśvara temple located near sirsi and is situated on the banks of the river shalmala, where a thousand lingas are found.
We have similar sahsralingas in river in Cambodia as well.
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Badavilinga Temple (or Shree Badavilinga Gudi) is a small but incredible temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. Known for its impressive monolithic Shivalinga, which stands at about 3 meters (10 feet) tall, Badavilinga Temple attracts devotees and tourists around the year. It’s the largest Shivalinga in Hampi.
The colossal Shivalinga here is carved out of a single black rock stone and the statue is submerged in water.
Badavilinga Temple is on Hampi’s outskirts, close to the popular Lakshmi Narasimha Temple.
Bhojeswar Temple
The Mysterious link between Karnataka and Cambodia
Old article written 14 years ago by me and posted in this blog.
It is very interesting to find out a mysterious link between the Indian state of Karnataka and a South East Asian country Cambodia. This is an ancient link but existing till today. In both these places we find the sculptures SAHASRA LINGA, literally translated one thousand Lingas. Linga is the shapeless form of Hindu God Shiva.
Cambodia is famous for its Angkor Watt temple. This is the largest Hindu temple in the world outside India. The temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and full of beautiful sculptures. It is a historical fact that the Hindus ruled various parts of South East Asia for 1300 years from 1st century AD. But not many people noticed the mystery of Sahasra Linga.
Sahasra Linga is located seventeen kilometres from Sirsi In the northern part of Karnataka known as Uttara Kanara. One can see hundreds of Shivalingas carved in stones and rocks in the middle of the river. The river is called Shalmala. All the statues are washed by this holy river water for ever. During Hindu festival Shivratri thousands of pilgrims visit this place and offer pujas. One advantage of visiting this place during Shivratri is the water level in the river is low and most of the Lingas are visible with their bases called Yonis. No one knew when and who carved them. People visit this spot for its scenic beauty as well. This place is situated in the middle of forest in the Western Ghats.
There is another place in Cambodia with the same name Sahasra Linga and there also the carved Shiva Lingas are in the middle of a river. The only difference is nobody worships it in Cambodia but tourists visit his place out of curiosity and to enjoy nature.
Bhuteswar, Chattisgarh
Cambodian Sahasralinga is located 25 kilometres from Angkor watt. There are statues of Hindu gods Lakshmi, Rama and Hanuman in addition to the Lingas. The place is called Kbal Spean and its meaning is ‘the Head Bridge’. Unlike Karnataka this place is not easily accessible. Tourists have to climb very hard and rough rocks. They have to go via a stone bridge. Animal figures are also carved on the side rocks. The river Slung Kbal Spean is flowing from Kulen mountains. There is a fifty feet high water falls which adds beauty to this holy spot. Long ago the kings used to come here for holy bath. No one knew who carved these lingas and for what purpose. But the tourists are told that the Lingas are symbols of creative energy and the river water that flows on the lingas will make the Cambodian paddy fields more fertile. A lot of Hindu symbols were destroyed during the civil war in Cambodia. But these Sahasra Lingas were not affected because of the surrounding thick forest. Those who wanted to travel to this place leave from Banteasy Srei and travel 12 kilometres and then walk for 45 minutes through rough terrain. The area is closed for tourists around 3 pm.
One of the remarkable sculptures here is of Maha Vishnu and Brahma emerges from his belly on a lotus flower. It is very heartening to see Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, all the three greats of the Hindu Trinity at the same place.
Any one who wants to see the pictures can see them on You Tube and images through google websites. Just type Sahasralinga in Karnataka and Sahasralinga in Kbal Spean you will see the beautiful images and videos.
Now the question is how come the same name and the same sculptures exist in two different places which are wide part by thousands of miles? Who and Why did they carve them? Neither the Indians nor the Cambodians knew. But if we dig deeper we can find the answers. I have shown somewhere
that Agastya was associated with the Pandyas in many copper plate inscriptions of the Pandyas and the famous Raghuvamsa Kavya of Kalidas. He led the Pandyas and other South Indian kings to South Asian countries two thousand years ago. He was the torch bearer of Hindu culture. Since those people were without a religion and culture Sage Agastya civilised them. This was not invasion but cultural expansion. As a token of gratitude Agastya statues were installed by the local people in different countries in South East Asia. Even before the British reached these areas French archaeologists and historians went to do a lot of research and published books on the temples. Anyone who has access to those French books can see the pictures of Agastya statues.
It is a well recognised fact that all the South East Asian scripts are evolved from Indian Brahmi. All Indian scripts also evolved from the same Brahmi. The Pallava script contributed to most of the S E Asian scripts. If one places the pictures of Pallava temples and S E Asian temples the similarity can’t be missed . And if one places more pictures from the Central American Maya temples the link can be easily established. So we can assume that the culture travelled from South India towards S E Asia and then to Central and South America.
Thanjavur Brihadeeswar
There is even mention of 1000 pillar Hall/Mandap in the Maya culture.
There are more Sahasralingas in India. For instance Pathan in North Gujarat has one Sahasralinga. But because of the foreign invasions followed by destructions only a 48 pillar mandap exists today with few lingas.
Sahasralinga also means one thousand linga forms on the face of a single big linga. The best of the Sahasralingas of this type is seen in Parasurameshwara Temple in Bhuvaneswar,Orissa.
Amazing Facts about Shivalinga
Post No. 12,924
Date uploaded in London – – 16 JANURARY 2024
Where is the tallest Shiv linga in the country?
Maha Mrityunjay Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Hindu God Shiva, situated in Nagaon, Assam, India. This Temple is special in its architectural sense as it is built in a form a Shivling. It is the World’s largest Shivalinga, at the height of 126 foot.
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What is the meaning of Linga Worship?
“ God is Omnipresent and All-pervasive. By the very nature of these qualities, He cannot have any form. He is, therefore, formless (Arupa). But in order to bless us, He assumes innumerable forms (Rupa). The Linga form in which we worship Isvara is symbolic of both His formlessness and form. It is symbolic of form because it has a particular shape; It is symbolic of formlessness because it has neither head nor limbs. The very conception of a Linga denotes something which has neither beginning nor end; the literal meaning of Linga is symbol.(Kanchi Paramacharaya 1894-1994)
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Why do we see Lingodbhava Murti in all Tamil Temples?
Isvara assumes various forms in pursuance of His Divine Leela. The prime manifestation with a form of the formless Isvara, is known as the Lingodbhava Moorthi, and He made his appearance in that form exactly at midnight on Sivaratri. That is why all devotees keep vigil during the night of Sivaratri, and worship Isvara at midnight.
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How Big is the Linga in Thanjavur Big Temple?
29 ft; It is 8.7 m (29 ft) high, occupying two storeys of the sanctum. It is one of the largest monolithic linga sculptures in India. Linga itself is 12 feet tall.
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Where is the tallest Shiv linga in Kerala?
Maheshwaram Shiva Parvathi temple, which houses the tallest Shiva lingam in Kerala, having a height of 111 ft, is located in Chenkal village. It is near Thiruvananthapuram .
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Shiva linga in Water Springs
In many places Shiva Linga is in the midst of a water spring or a tank. This is because Shiva is called ABISHEKA PRIYA (bathing) and Vishnu is called ALANKARA PRIYA (decoration).
Thiruvanaikkaa near Trichy has Jambukeshvar Shiva temple where the Linga is in a water spring. There are similar temples in Sirkazi, Thiruvedakam near Madurai etc.
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Natural Wonder- Ice Lingas in Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.
Amarnath is the place in Jammu Kashmir state where a Linga is formed naturally inside a cave. It is made up of ice and it appears in and around August every year and then disappears.
Similar Ice Lingam is formed in a cave near Manali in Himachal Pradesh. It is called Amarnath of Himachal Pradesh. The 25-foot high Shiva lingam made of snow and ice is at Anjani Mahadev Temple.
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kotilingeswara temple
Ashta / Eight Famous Lingas in Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu
The names of the Ashtalingams are:
Indra Lingam (East)
Agni Lingam (South East)
Yama (Ema) Lingam (South)
Niruthi Lingam (South West)
Varuna Lingam (West)
Vayu Lingam (North West)
Kubera Lingam (North)
Esanya Lingam (North East)
During every full moon day lakhs of devotees go round the hill at Tiruvannamalai and they worship all the above eight Lingas in eight different directions.
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Sun Light falls on Lingas
Kings of Choza Dynasty were great Shiva Bhaktas. They had clever civil engineers who built temples with many wonders. One of the wonders is to make the sun light enters into the sanctum sanctorum of the temple so that Sun worships the idol. And Chozas belonged to Sun Race (solar race)
One such temple where the sun rays enter and falls on Shiva Linga in the Garbha Griha is in Karaikurichi near Ariyalur. Sun light falls on the Linga twice a year in Uttarayana and Dakshinayana periods. Every year it happens on the same day in Hindu Calendar.
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Ghee Linga in Thrissur in Kerala
Since Lord Shiva is ABISHEKA PRIYA (fond of bathing), people pour various liquids on the idol . Thrissur Vadakkunathan temple has the famous Ghee Linga. For centuries , devotees have been bathing the god with clarified butter. Now the linga has disappeared because of the solidified layers of Ghee on the idol. People take the ghee as Prasad.
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Linga with holes on the top
Every temple has a special feature in Tamil Nadu. We see Shiva lingas with some peculiarities and stories are told about them. In Thirunallur and Needur we see Lingas with holes on top. In one place it is attributed to Saint Bhringi. He took the form of a beetle and made the whole. In Another temple also similar story is told.
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Kailash and Shivlinga Mountain
In the Himalayan range we come across hills which look like huge Shiva Lingas. Hindus give importance to such places. We have Linga shaped Mt. Kailash and mountain shaped like Linga in the Himalayas. It is called Shivling Mountain.
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Koti Linga and Sahasra Linga
We come across innumerable Lingas in certain places and they are called Koti Lingas. If they carve 1000 squares with Linga figure in one single shiva stone, it is called Sahasra Linga. Many temples have Sahasra Lingas.
—subham—
Tallest Shivalinga Near Trivandrum (Thiru Anantha Puram)
During my visit to India in March- April 2024, I had a busy Wedding schedule. I attended one wedding in Chennai and celebrated another wedding in Kovalam beach near Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala.
It is very near Thiruvananthapuram city.
Located in: Chenkal Maheswaram Sri Shiva Parvathy Temple
Address: 939X+72R, Chenkal, Kerala 695132, India
Closes at⋅ 8 pm ⋅ Opens 8 am
Phone: +91 94963 66316
Kerala now has one of the tallest Shiva lingams in the country after the India Book of Records certified the 111.2-feet structure of Maheshwaram Sri Shiva Parvathy Temple at Chenkal in Thiruvananthapuram district.
The cylindrical structure has eight floors, six of which represent chakras or energy centres of the human body. Temple authorities are now hoping the shiva lingam will enter the Limca and Guinness Book of Records.
Pilgrims would be able to see a ‘kailasam’, a replica of Himalayas, and idols of Shiva and Parvati from the top of the shiva lingam. The pathway is adorned with murals and statues with 108 shiva lingams on the base floor.
It is the only temple in the world, where devotees can worship 12 Jyothirlingams of Lord Shiva and 32 forms of Lord Ganesha at one place.
—subham—
Tags-Hinduism through 500 Pictures in Tamil and English; படங்கள் மூலம் இந்து மதம் கற்போம் -Part 25, Linga, Shivalinga, Jyotirlinga, Sahasralinga
Tamil and Vedas 