Identification of Shaligram

TYPES OF SHALIGRAM WITH SUBSECTION

Pitambara : Round in shape having some similarity with the buttock of a cow, and printed with one circular mark.

Chakrapani : Round and glaced in shape, with a small circular mark and many other prints.

Saptavirashrava : Round in shape with a small circular mark and several golden dot prints all over the body.

Jagadyoni: Red in colour with a circular mark a the front of his opening.

Bahurupin : With many openings having the marks of a conch and discus in one of them.

Harihara : i) With two circular marks and a print lie a shivalinga on his front side. ii) With three circular marks on the sides. other things being the same as above. iii) With four circular marks, other things being the same as above.

Swayambhu : Blue in colour with a long and big opening, and having his body encircled by linear marks.

Shankaranarayana : Marked with the print resembling a Shivalinga either side on the right or the left side.

Pitaamaha : He has four different openings with a circular mark in each of them.

Naramurti : Yellow in colour with the mark of a shivalinga on one side and sacred thread on the other.

Shesha : Printed with linear marks forming the coiled body of a snake.

Pralambaghna : Red in colour with the mark of a coiled body and a hood of a snake. This type of forbidden to be worshipped.

Suryamurti : With twelve different circular marks either on the body or inside his opening.

Haihaya : i) With one opening and different marks of hoods. Amongst these marks two take place o the right side outside the opening ii) Shaped like a lotus leaf with a golden mark resembling an arc.

Vishnupanjara : Printed with several linear marks created by the insect called vajrakita.

Garuda : i) Shaped like a lotus with three marks one above the other the central line being longer.ii) Printed with long linear marks and having two, three of four golden spots on his body. In colour he may be green, blue or white.

DASHAVTARA SHALIGRAM

The Dasavatara types of Shalagram :
Like the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu several types of Shalagram also under the names of his each incarnation became prominent, of which some sub types also are found to be worshipped. We get a long list of such Dasavataras types in the Praanatoshanitantra (page 348-351) These are collected from different authoritative books and are given below
1 Matsya or the Fish type :
i) Long in shape, golden in colour, and marked with three dot-prints.
ii) Like bell metal in colour, other characteristics being the same as above.
iii) With the colour of sphatika (crystal) other things being the same as above
iv) Green in colour and marked with a fish, and two circles.
v) Long in shape with three openings, having a circular mark inside the opening and another at the tail. He has the mark of a cart on his right side and linear fish on his left side.
vi) With a long shape having opening at the right side, and marked with tree dot prints one discus, one lotus and one conch.
vii) Shaped like a fish with a long mark on his head.

2 Kurma the Tortoise type:
i) Shaped like a tortoise with the eastern side elevated.
ii) Green in colour, round in shape resembling a tortoise, his upper side being comparatively higher and printed with circular markings
iii) Shaped like a tortoise and printed with five different marks each resembling the sun
iv) Marked with foot prints of a cow on ? his sides.
v) Marked with a conch, a flag, and three golden dot prints.
vi) Long in shape with openings on the left and right sides, and printed with five sun marks.
vii) Shaped like a snuhi (emphorbia antiquorum) flower with circular marks on both the sides.
viii) Round and long in shape, having a circle and a tortoise printed on his sides. He has a mixed colour of blue and red.

3 Varaha or the Boar type:
i) Blue in colour, big in size, and printed with circular marks in odd number, as well as three linear marks.
ii) Printed with even number of circular marks, of which at least one takes place on his right side, and also with vanamala. This last variety is also called Lakshmi-Varaha.