Linga

(“mark,” “sign”) Aside from the word’s
literal meaning as any emblematic sign,
linga is also the name for the pillarshaped form of the god Shiva.
Representing Shiva as the power of generation itself, from which men and
women derive their procreative force,
the linga is sometimes simplistically
called a “phallic” symbol. An equally
important part of the linga’s image is the
base (pitha) in which the shaft is placed,
a base which represents the female
organs of generation. The Gudimallam
linga, the oldest known image of Shiva
in this form, shows him as male and
female, transcending the most basic
defining factor of human identity.