Vishnu related - Salagrama

 Salagrama stones

Salagrama are special granite stones found only in Nepal. Even in Nepal it may not be available all over. It is available in the River Gantaki which originates from a place called Salagram in Nepal. The Salagram stones which move at a very slow pace in the current of the water. Most of them are of thousands of years old. During the slow movement in the water, some water borne creatures makes patterns or holes in these stones. The patterns in many cases will be wonderful resembling to the sudrsana chakra, conch (sea shells) or other signs.

 Salagramas and Lord Vishnu

Salagram is associated with Lord Vishnu, Just as Linga is associated with Lord Siva. It is believed that if the Salagrams are kept in the pooja rooms at home or temples; treated as auspicious holy items and offer worship the same will bring prosperity, peace and health. Similarly it is believed that if Salagrams are not treated with reverence it will result in miseries in the families.

Nepal, Salagramas and Sri Anantha Padmanabha Swamy of Thiruvananthapuram

Incidentally it will not be out of place to mention that the idol of Sri Anantha Padmanabha Swamy Temple is made of about 12,000 Salagramas joined and shaped with the aid of a special paste of Kadu Sarkara Yoga. Kadu Sarkara means raw jaggery (a raw sweetener made out of sugar cane juice). The paste is made by preparation of special mixture of the raw jaggery and 64 Ayurvedic medicinal plants. This paste will prevent the worms and insects damaging the Salagramas used in the idol of the Lord. As per records the Travancore Maharaja requested the king of Nepal for the Salagrama  stones. The Nepal King sent about 50,000 Salagram stones with the accompaniment of elephants, solders of the kingdom and thousands of devotees upto Trivandrum (present Thiruvananthapuram - the name of the city is after the lord of the city). Out of the stones so received only around 12,000 are supposed to have been used and as per a belief the balance stones are deposited in the holy pond of the Sri Padmanabha Swamy temple known as the Padma (lotus) theertha (pond - tank).