Gigantic RUDRAKSHA LINGAM - பிரம்மாண்டமான ருத்ராட்ச லிங்கம்at Chennai, T...
Rudraksha is a seed that is used as a prayer bead in Hinduism (especially in Shaivism). When they are ripe, rudraksha seeds are covered by a blue outer fruit and are sometimes called blueberry beads. The seeds are produced by several species of large, evergreen, broad-leaved tree in the genus Elaeocarpus, the principle of which is Elaeocarpus ganitrus. The seeds are associated with the Hindu Lord Shiva and are commonly worn for protection and for chanting mantras such as Om Namah Shivaya (Devanagari: ॐ नमः शिवाय Om Namaḥ Śivāya). The seeds are primarily sourced from India, Indonesia and Nepal for jewellery and malas; they are valued similarly to semi-precious stones. Various meanings and interpretations are attributed to the beads with different numbers of segments or the locules of seed (mukh) [Sanskrit "मुख": face ], and rare or unique beads are highly prized and valuable. Rudraksha is a Sanskrit compound word consisting of Rudra (Sanskrit: रुद्र) and akṣa (Sanskrit: अक्ष).