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SALAGRAMA
Salagrama is a object like precious stone of different shapes found at the Gantaki river in Nepal. These stones have special marks like spiral, chakras, thread etc on formed it. As per Hindu belief, Salagramas are sacred with the presence of God in them and part of their worship they are believed that by a mere look at these stones.
The NAME SALAGRAMA
Salagrama got its name based on a story in the Varaha Purana 144-145, which says that once there was a sage called Shalankayana, who was performing austerities and devotional meditation in many holy places with a view to gain a great devotee of Lord Vihsnu as his son. He visited the sacred tirtha (holy place) of Muktinatha in present day Northern Nepal, high in the Himalayas, and took his bath in the icy waters of the Kali Gantaki ,located back of the Annapurna mountain. Extremely tired from his climb in the high altitude, he finally took rest under a sala tree at the geographic location of the Annapurna (Shaligram Tirtha) region.
Fast asleep on the eastern side of the tree, he didn't notice that the Lord Krishna had come and stood before him. Then by the Lord's mercy the sage awoke and saw his Lord standing there and immediately propitiated him with melodious Vedic mantras. The Lord then fulfilled the desire of the sage and gave him a son on the spot, and being pleased with his devotional attitude, gave another boon.
Krishna informed that from that day (the dwadasi in the sukla paksa of the month of Vaisaka) He would eternally stay on the area of that mountain in the form of the Salagrama stone. Actually there was no sala tree there at that time - it was a special self-manifesting mercy incarnation of the Lord appearing for His devotee. So in the same way, the Lord continued to tell the sage that in the self-manifesting form of the Salagrama Shila He will reside there, and the devotees can take Him in this form and worship Him, and He will reciprocate their love in that way. This is confirmed in the Mahabharata (Vana Parva Ch 84, 123-125), where it is said the name Salagram is given to Lord Vishnu who resides in the Salagrama at the Salagram Tirtha.
Fast asleep on the eastern side of the tree, he didn't notice that the Lord Krishna had come and stood before him. Then by the Lord's mercy the sage awoke and saw his Lord standing there and immediately propitiated him with melodious Vedic mantras. The Lord then fulfilled the desire of the sage and gave him a son on the spot, and being pleased with his devotional attitude, gave another boon.
Krishna informed that from that day (the dwadasi in the sukla paksa of the month of Vaisaka) He would eternally stay on the area of that mountain in the form of the Salagrama stone. Actually there was no sala tree there at that time - it was a special self-manifesting mercy incarnation of the Lord appearing for His devotee. So in the same way, the Lord continued to tell the sage that in the self-manifesting form of the Salagrama Shila He will reside there, and the devotees can take Him in this form and worship Him, and He will reciprocate their love in that way. This is confirmed in the Mahabharata (Vana Parva Ch 84, 123-125), where it is said the name Salagram is given to Lord Vishnu who resides in the Salagrama at the Salagram Tirtha.