Indian Iron Tantric Lingam

Slender and shadowy, this black oval keeps its sheen to a polite minimum.

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. Essentially it is a narrow oval, tapered at both ends, in a deep gray-black with a slightly dry polish. A faint vertical highlight runs down the upper face, and small pale abrasions appear on the right. A black ring props the base. It is 8 inches high and 4 in diameter.

Lean, dark, and unbothered by the spotlight.