Siva is worshiped as a Siva-linga in temples. A Siva-linga is usually made of
stone and has three parts. The base is square with an oval or octagonal
platform, topped by a cylindrical, round stone. It is common to have a temple of
Siva without a form of Siva, but to simply worship a linga.
The linga may either be carved or
natural. The natural lingas are usually collected from a riverbed, often
the Krishna River in South India. A Siva-linga is bathed, offered flower
garlands, covered with milk, and offered food as part of the worship. A Siva-linga
may be chala (movable) or achala (immovable). A chala
linga may be in a house, carried, or sometimes worn around the neck. The
achala lingas are installed in temples.
Lord Siva is
worshiped as five element lingas at five different major temples in
South India:
1. Sky or space
(ether), Akash-linga, in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu.
2. Water, Appu-linga, at the Jambu-keswaram temple near Tiruchirappalli (Trichy),
Tamil Nadu.
3. Fire, Agni-linga, at the Arunachaleswar Temple, in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil
Nadu.
4. Earth, Prithvi-linga, in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, or some say Gokarna,
Karnataka.
5. Air, Vayu-linga, in Sri Kalahasti, Andhra Pradesh.
