Indian Iron Tantric Lingam

Smoky black with cloudy patches, standing on a short plinth like a very serious bowling pin.

This tantric lingam is from Narmada River, Madhya Pradesh, India. It is quartz crystal & iron. Dams planned along the Narmada since the 1940s have steadily removed the dry season that harvesting depends on, so gathering genuine lingams from the riverbed has become close to impossible. Cut as a tall oval in dull charcoal, with mottled gray clouds drifting across the middle of the face. The polish is soft rather than glossy, and the form narrows gently toward the bottom. A short black cylinder serves as its foot. It is 14.25 inches high and 7.25 in diameter.

Moody by nature, and well suited to a quiet corner.