The shaligram is the black cobble centered on this puja tray. It represents Vishnu, preserver and protector of the universe. It has been cracked, expertly, so the two halves fall open to reveal an ammonite fossil on one side and its "footprint" on the other. The halves nest back together with a barely visible seam.
Knowing the secret contained in that beautiful black stone increases its holiness. It is a talisman of deep time. Ammonites first appeared in the fossil record about 450 million years ago and died out in the great extinction that killed the dinosaurs. They were entombed in ocean sediments before the Himalayan Range existed, and exhumed when India crashed into Central Asia 20 million years BCE, and the Himals buckled up at that continental seam.
Hinduism is an ancient religion, rooted in the Indus Valley during the Bronze Age. The shaligram on the puja tray is worshipped now as it has been for the better part of forever in human time. Following that deep dive into sacred tradition, the puja complete, the pujari will pick up her cell phone and get on with her day., Paige Grant, , Paige Anna Grant| 9781326631727 | 135PAGES