Elements of Hindu Iconography v1.c7.31

v1.c7.31

Bāṇa-liṅgas mostly consist of quartz and are egg-shaped pebbles. They are described in the *Siddhānta-sārāvaḷi* of Trilōchana Śivāchārya:—" Bāṇa-liṅgas are liked by Īśvara and may be in sizes ranging from the eighth of an *aṅgula* (inch) to one *hasta* (cubit). They may be of the colour of a ripe *jambu* fruit, of honey, of a black beetle, or of the touch-stone, or may be blue, deep-red or green. The *pīṭha* should also be of the same colour as the *bāṇa-liṅga*. They have to be either like the teat of a cow or like an egg in shape, and must be highly polished. These *bāṇa-liṅgas* are said to be found in Amarēśvara, on the Mahēndra mountain, in Nepal, in the Kanyātīrtha and Āśrama near the same place. It is considered that each of these places contains a crore of *bāṇa-liṅgas*, and that there are three crores of *bāṇa-liṅgas* in each of the following places of Śaiva pilgrimage, namely, Śrīśaila, Liṅgaśaila and Kāligarta.