Indian Iron Tantric Lingam

Water made this shape, or so the Narmada's devotees will tell you.

This tantric lingam comes from the Narmada River in India and is of indeterminate age. It is quartz crystal with iron oxide inclusions. The Narmada is one of Hinduism's sacred rivers, and stones taken from it have long been revered as natural forms of Shiva, used in temples, home shrines and tantric practice. A rust-red band with a dark center wavers across the upper body. Tan and olive tones soften into one another below it. It stands 9.5 inches high, with a 5.75-inch diameter.

The river was in no hurry, and neither is the stone.