Saligrama
Shaligrama - The Most sacred stone worshipped by Vaishnavites
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The shaligrama is the most sacred stone worshipped by vaishnavas and is used to worship Vishnu in an abstract form (i.e., God without form) as a saligrama. Use of the shaligrama is similar to the use of lingam, an abstract symbol of Shiva. The stone is an ammonite fossil found in river Gandaki (Near Muktinath) in Nepal. According to Hindu tradition this stone is the shelter
for a small insect known as vajra-keeta that cuts through the shaligrama stone
and stays inside it, in reality the Saligram stones are actually fossils of common ammonites that lived hundreds of million years ago when the Himalaya was an ocean floor.
The marks made by the shell of the ammonite gives the shaligrama a special
significance, with the pattern often representing that of Sudarshan Chakra
(the Discus of Lord Vishnu).
Shaligrams come in different colors, such as red, blue, yellow, black, greeen. The yellow and blue varities are considered more sacred while the black ones are more common. Shaligrams of different shapes are often associated with different incarnations of Lord Vishnu (such as Narasimha Avatar, Kurma Avatar and so on).
According to vaishnavas the shaligram is the dewelling place of Lord Vishnu and any one who keeps it must worship it daily, he must also adhere to strict rules such as not touching the shaligrama without bathing, never placing the shaligrama on the ground, avoiding non-vaishnavaite (or non-satvic) food and not indulging in bad practices. A broken or damaged shaligrama is not to be worshipped under any circumstance. Lord Krishna himself mentions the qualities of shaligrama to Yudhishtra in Mahabharata.
Not all shaligramas are considered auspicious, some are very sacred, some are even considered to bring bad luck, infamy, disease, while others are considered to bring good luck, money, peace and so on. Therefore care must be taken before obtaining any shaligram for household worship. Temples can use any kind of shaligrams (good or bad) in their rituals.
The place where shaligrama stone is found is itself known by that name and is one of the 108 sacred pilgrimage places for the vaishnavas outside India. In fact such is the auspiciousness of this place that the puranas mention that any stone from this land is equally sacred to shaligrama.
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