Works of

Hindu literature Hindu texts or Hindu scriptures are manuscripts and voluminous historical literature which are related to any of the diverse traditions within Hinduism. Some of the major Hindu texts include the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the Itihasa. Scholars ...

such as the '' Viramitrodaya'', '' Chaturvarga-chintamani'', ''Matsyasukta'', ''Vaishvanara Samhita'', ''Puranasamgraha'', and the ''Pranatoshani Tantra'' cites the following varieties of

shaligram A shaligram, or shaligrama shila ( deva, शालिग्राम शिला; IAST: ''Śāligrāma-śilā''), is a fossilized stone or ammonite collected from the riverbed or banks of the Kali Gandaki, a tributary of the Gandaki River in ...

s on the basis of shape, colour, features of the ''chakra'' (imprint of the

ammonite Ammonoids are extinct, (typically) coiled-shelled cephalopods comprising the subclass Ammonoidea. They are more closely related to living octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish (which comprise the clade Coleoidea) than they are to nautiluses (family N ...

shell present on the outer surface or inside the stone, resembling

Sudarshana Chakra The Sudarshana Chakra (, ) is a divine discus, attributed to Vishnu in the Hindu scriptures. The Sudarshana Chakra is generally portrayed on the right rear hand of the four hands of Vishnu, who also holds the Panchajanya (conch), the Kaumodak ...

, the discus of

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

) and ''mukha/vadana/dvara'' (a large aperture resembling an open mouth through which the ''chakra'' present within the stone can be seen from outside) and distinct markings like the ''vanamala'' (a linear white line running throughout the body of the stone, resembling a garland) A more detailed classification is provided in the ''Meru Tantra'' and in the book ''Shalagrama Kosha'' compiled by S. K. Ramachandra Rao from a manuscript named ''Shalagrama Pariksha'' written by a

Telugu Brahmin Telugu Brahmins are ethnic-Telugu people, Telugus who belong to Brahmin communities native to the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. They fall under the Pancha-Dravida, Pancha Dravida Brahmin classification of the Brahmin community in ...

named Anupasimha, and unpublished sections of the ''

Sritattvanidhi The ''Sritattvanidhi'' (, "The Illustrious Treasure of Realities") is a treatise written in the 19th century in the Mysore Palace, Karnataka on the iconography and iconometry of divine figures in South India. One of its sections includes instru ...

'' dealing with shaligrams.

Description

References

{{Reflist Vaishnavism Hindu iconography Hindu symbols Objects used in Hindu worship