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Sila (murthi)
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Sila, (??? in Devanagari, in IAST refers to a Vaishnava (Hindu) murti in the form of a spherical, usually black-coloured stone found in the sacred river Gandaki.
They are more often referred to as Shaligram Shilas, with Shila being the shortened version. The word Sila translates simply to 'stone' and Shaligram is a less well-known name of Vishnu. The origin of the name is traced to a remote village in Nepal where Vishnu is known by the name of Shaligraman.
Silas (Ammonite fossils) are worshipped as manifestations of Vishnu Himself, identifiable from other stones by special markings, believed to resemble Vishnu's paraphernalia such as mace, conch, lotus and disc (chakra).
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Encyclopedia
Sila, (??? in Devanagari, in IAST refers to a Vaishnava (Hindu) murti in the form of a spherical, usually black-coloured stone found in the sacred river Gandaki.
They are more often referred to as Shaligram Shilas, with Shila being the shortened version. The word Sila translates simply to 'stone' and Shaligram is a less well-known name of Vishnu. The origin of the name is traced to a remote village in Nepal where Vishnu is known by the name of Shaligraman.
Worship
The Silas (Ammonite fossils) are worshipped as manifestations of Vishnu Himself, identifiable from other stones by special markings, believed to resemble Vishnu's paraphernalia such as mace, conch, lotus and disc (chakra). Nrsrimhadeva, Varahadeva and Vamanadeva are popular forms of worship. They are either black, red, or mixed in colour and are usually kept closed in a box and are only brought out for daily worship (puja). The Silas are usually hereditary and are passed down through many generations, never being purchased or sold.
According to Vaishnava belief, the worshipper of a Shaligram Sila must adhere to strict rules, such as not touching the shaligrama without bathing, never placing the shaligrama on the ground, eating only prasad, and not indulging in bad practices. In most Vaishnava temples the main deity is usually decorated with a garland of 108 Saligrama Silas.
Origins of worship
Tulasi, also known as Holy Basil is closely associated with the origins of Sila worship. According to the Puranas, Vishnu had reunited with Laxmi, His wife. Sarasvati, also wanted to be Lord Vishnu's consort. Once in anger Sarasvati cursed Laxmi. Sarasvati's curse changed Lakshmi into a tulasi plant and forced her to live on earth forever. Vishnu, however, intervened and modified the curse, saying that Lakshmi would remain on earth as tulasi until the river Gandaki flowed from her body. In the meantime, He would wait by the riverside in the form of a stone to take her back to His abode. This stone was the shaligram shila, which thus remained on earth as a representative of Vishnu. The shila deities and the tulasi plant are thus always worshipped together as Vishnu and Lakshmi.
The largest and heaviest shaligrama can be seen at the Jagannath Temple, dedicated to Vishnu, at Puri in Orissa. The main ISKCON temple in Scotland, called 'Karuna Bhavan' is famous for housing the largest number of Shaligram Silas outside of India.
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