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Shri
Saligram
 Saligram
is essentially a vaishnava symbol of Lord Vishnu
without which no pooja can ordinarily take
place. As the legend goes, Shani or Saturn
wanted to descend on Lord Vishnu. But before
doing so, he announced that he would locate the
Lord even if he hides anywhere, assuming any
form. Accepting the challenge, the Lord assumed
the form of Saligram rock on the banks of the
River Gandaki. Shani tried in vain to blast the
rock. Then in the form of a diamond bumble-bee
he tried for years to drill the rock to
penetrate and see whether the Lord was hiding
somewhere inside. Here
again he was not successful. Tired and
frustrated he gave up his efforts and left, once
for all. The dust particles of the rock which
was the Lord himself,
fell into the sacred River
Gandaki and
took the form of shell fishes. Therefore, the
Saligram though looks like a pebble or a marble
with a smooth surface, it is a shell of a fish
in the River Gandaki in Nepal and except in a
particular locality nowhere else it is available
on this earth. Now
this shell-fish is regarded as a rare specie and
is protected from the wanton killing by
unscrupulous people.
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