Bhutalingas

(“elemental lingas”) A network of five
southern Indian sacred sites (tirthas),
four in the state of Tamil Nadu and one
in Andhra Pradesh, all dedicated to the
god Shiva. In each of these centers, the
most sacred object is the linga, a pillarshaped form representing Shiva. What
makes these sites unique is that the
linga is supposedly composed of one of
the five primordial elements. Thus the
linga in Tiruvannamalai is formed from
fire; the linga in Jambukeshvar is
formed from water; the one in
Kanchipuram is made from earth; that
in Kalahasti, the sacred site in Andhra
Pradesh, is formed from air; and the
linga in Chidambaram is made from
space. Between them, these five sites
comprise a symbolic cosmology that
encompasses all created things.