Ekmukhi Rudraksha

A particular type of rudraksha, which is
a bead made from the dried seed of the
tree Elaeocarpus ganitrus. The rudraksha is considered sacred to the god
Shiva, and is often strung into garlands
and worn by his devotees (bhakta). The
seed itself is typically round, with a
knobby pitted surface and a natural
channel in the middle through which a
thread can be easily drawn. It has natural divisions running from top to bottom, which divide the seed into units
known as “faces” (mukhi). The Ekmukhi
Rudraksha is one in which the dividing
lines running from top to bottom are
completely absent, making the whole
seed a single and undivided piece. Such
a rudraksha is extremely rare, as well as
holy, for it is believed to be a manifestation of Shiva himself in material form.
Their rarity also makes them extremely
valuable, and street sellers routinely
counterfeit them by carving reproductions out of pieces of wood, often with
the symbol Om on one side.