Indian Iron Tantric Lingam

Plum cloud settling over a pale lilac-gray body, with small dark smudges below.

This tantric lingam is from Narmada River, Madhya Pradesh, India. It is quartz crystal & iron. Brahmin villages along a short part of the river traditionally gathered lingams from shallow water in the dry season, then shaped and hand-polished them, sometimes for as long as a year. Slim and gently rounded, the oval is pale gray-pink at the edges. A large plum-purple area covers the upper front, fading softly at its borders. Small dark horizontal marks appear near the lower middle, and the surface is soft and dull. It is 10 inches high and 5.5 in diameter.

A gentle storm cloud, parked and not going anywhere.