shaligram
Sign in to saveAlso known as raghuvir shila, shaligrama shila
thumb|upright=1.25|These ammonite fossils serve as a non-anthropomorphic symbol of Vishnu.
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thumb|upright=1.25|These ammonite fossils serve as a non-anthropomorphic symbol of Vishnu.
A shaligram, or shaligrama shila (; IAST: Śāligrāma-śilā), is a fossilized stone or ammonite collected from the riverbed or banks of the Kali Gandaki, a tributary of the Gandaki River in Nepal. It is also considered a form of Vishnu within Hinduism. The Kali Gandaki River flows through sacred places such as Muktinath and Damodar Kunda, enhancing the spiritual significance of these shaligrams. There are numerous different types of shaligrams.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “shaligram” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.