Shaligram | Shaligram Shila Facts & Myths | All About Gandaki Stone

Natural Shaligram is a sacred Shila or a highly valued Shila which only available in the Kali Gandaki River of the valley of Mustang district in Nepal. According to Hinduism & Vaishnavism Shaligram is the Lord Vishnu itself in the form of Shila or stone. The actual origin site of this Shila is Damodar Kunda which lies in the lap of Damodar Himal. The exact location of Damodar Kund is a few days far from Muktinath Temple.

Place where found this genuine Shila is known as Shaligramkshetra & Muktikshetra. It is extended vertically from Northern-region of Upper-Mustang to the Southern-part of Nepal (named as Ruru a part of Palpa district and Narayani Watercourse). Through this article know all the details on Shaligram i.e. facts & myth of Gandaki Stone, availability of genuine Shaligram, why do worship Shaligram and much more.

From Where to Get Genuine Shaligram

Gandaki River or Kali Gandaki River is a sacred river which is one of the oldest & biggest rivers flows from North to South section of Nepal. This Krishnagandaki or Gandaki river is also one of the biggest tributaries of the Ganga river in India. The Nhubine Glacier of Upper Mustang Nepal is the farthest stream point of this Kaligandaki River. It will become Damkhola & Mustang Khola after mixing up with few other small tributaries.

Narsingh Khola, Lungpa Khola, Raghu Ganga etc are the additional channels which join into the Gandaki river within Muktikshetra. When Narsingh-Khola blends with the stream coming through Upper Mustang it named as Kaligandaki River. Shaligram stone is commonly visible after this confluence point and Damodar-Himal & Damodar Kunda are the main sources of Narsingh Khola. Thus Damodar Kund region of Kali Gandaki River is the actual point of seeing Shaligram.

Why People Worship Shaligram

In Hinduism, there are many ancient holy books such as 4 Vedas, 18 Puran and 108 Upanishad and much more. And the importance & significance of Shaligram is quoted in different Puranas and people do respect those ancient texts and try to follow it practically.

It is believed that saligram holds high worth than any other expensive material i.e gold, silver etc. Water having just stroked the genuine Shaligram will transform into Amrit and it has the ability to cure any kind of illness & negative aspect from an individuals physique. Some of the Puranic tells about Shaligram are mentioned below.

According to Skanda Puran

- People who consume holy nectar of Genuine Saligram will get rid of all Sins.
- One who drinks a scared Salagram soaked water, he/she will get moksha.
- Anyone who sees, pays respect, bath & worship Shaligram stone will be blessed by the Lord Vishnu and get the blessings of giving 10 million cows in donations.

According to Padma Puran

Holy rivers like Ganga, Godavari & others have the quality to remove sin and reward people with moksha because they are the Charanamrita of Lord Shaligram naturally.

According to Baraha Puran

- The broken piece of original Sila in Shaligramkshetra have the same power as of unbroken Shaligram Shila.
- Puran also points out that a silky and glowing Shaligram stone should be worshipped by a person who wants to achieve siddhi quickly.

According to Skanda, Padma, and other Puranas, people who worship Shaligram Bhagawan feel no fear and will be blessed to attain every aspect of desire. Worshippers get a peaceful environment in his surroundings, will have good health & no any psychological panic remains on the mind, able to get a respectable wife or husband, immense wealth, decent descendants, attains strong shield against all evil forces & live prosperous life standard. Original Shaligram is useful for meditation process & activate kundalini to achieve spiritual liberation plus many more.

Ancient Story of Shaligram

Once there was a leader of the Asuras or Demon clan named Jalandhar. He got married to Vrinda was a daughter of Kalanemi Rakches. Brinda was a devotee of Vishnu or Lord Shaligram and she was also well equipped with a powerful boon. Because of power, fidelity & love of her wife, Jalandhara became stronger. After some time he gets crowned by Daitya Guru Sukracharya and become Demon King.

He defeated all the kings and extends his territory all over the world. Then he plans to conquer heaven thus he declares the war against Devas or Gods. When the war begins deities of Paradise used different powerful weapons to defeat Jalandhar but failed to defeat him. Then all devas go to Lord Brahma to seek help. God Bramha advises them to take the help of Lord Shiva to defeat this monster. Lord Shiva tried to convince the demon king but he ignored. Then all gods make a plan to destroy him by killing. Finally, they decide to have a bit betray to demolish huge wrong by eliminating Fidelity of Vrinda.

When Jalandhar in war, she always used to pray to God Vishnu. Vishnu changes his appearance & become a duplicate Jalandhara and appear in front of Brinda. She didn’t recognize him and behaved him like her husband. At the same time, Lord Shiva threw his trident weapon towards Jalandhar and killed him. When Brinda knew the reality she cursed Lord Vishnu to become a stone.

He accepts her curse and takes a bath in the Gandaki river (Kaligandaki). Vishnu made a decision to take a new manifestation as a stone and he told Lord Vishwakarma to carve out a Shaligram stone in several shapes. In this way, the Gandaki River is recognized as his residing area and the Shalagram Silas is seen as an incarnation of Lord Maha Vishnu.

Real Shaligram According to Science

According to Geologists, the ancient seaborne creatures or ammonoids of the Jurassic Era fossilized and gradually altered into stones. Presently these stones are known as Shaligram Shila. It is also claimed that many years ago Mustang territory was under the Tethys Ocean. Researchers proved that, because of the high pressure of the weight of seawater and mega rock, massive geological unrest occurred which led to the creation of mountains in this area. Hindu believes that Shaligram is the stone form of Narayana.

Shaligram Shila in Different Colours

Authentic Shaligram or Saligram can be obtained in several colours. Usually, Shaligram Shilas are available in Black Colors having some gold contents are auspicious. But some rare Shaligrams are also available in yellow, Black, Blue, white and so on in colours. It is suggested that people can worship different genuine Saligram based on their desire. Generally, Black Saligram is worshipped in-house and temple by everyone and it is believed that worshipping this Shila helps us to boost name & fame.