Linga

Linga (a Sanskrit word which literally means a sign or symbol) denotes, in the sectarian worship of the Hindus, the Phallus (q.v.), as emblem of the male or generative power of nature. The Linga-worship prevails with the Sivaïtes (see INDIA, p. 106). Originally of an ideal and mystical nature, it has degenerated into practices of the grossest description; thus taking the same course as the similar worship of the Chaldæans, Greeks, and other nations of the east and west. The manner in which the Linga is represented is generally inoffensive—a pillar of stone or other cylindrical objects being held as appropriate symbols of the generative power of Siva. Its counterpart is Yoni, or the symbol of female nature as productive. See Muir's Sanskrit Texts (vol. iv.), and Kittel's monograph (Basel, 1876).