Indian Iron Tantric Lingam

Just one red stroke, high on a smooth green-gray stone.

Quartz crystal with iron oxide inclusions gives this tantric lingam its color. It comes from India and its age is indeterminate. A lingam is a focus for the worship of Shiva, often placed on a shrine and bathed in offerings, and its plain form leaves the devotee to supply the meaning. This one is a long oval in olive gray, with a lightly mottled surface. A forked streak of deep red and orange crosses near the top. It stands 10 inches high, with a 6.25-inch diameter.

One stroke was considered sufficient.