Shiva Lingam made of Rudraksha beads attracts hundreds in Valsad

Valsad (Gujarat), Feb 12 (ANI): Hundreds of devotees visited Dharampur town in Gujarat's Valsad district to see the 25 feet tall Shiva lingam, which was made entirely of Rudraksha beads on the occasion of Mahashivratri on Friday.

The Rudraksha Shiva Lingam has been created by Batuk Vyas, a devotee of Lord Shiva and Rudraksha expert, every year during the Mahashivratri festival.

According to Vyas, the town of Dharampur has become synonymous with the iconic representation made from holy beads. Hundreds and thousands of Rudraksha beads safeguarded for many years have gone into the making of this huge structure.

"The question is why we created such a huge structure of Rudraksha beads? Before wearing the Rudraksha, one needs to worship it and perform some rituals. So, on the occasion of Mahashivratri and Maha Kumbh, we have created this huge structure with Rudraksha to pay respect to Lord Shiva. There is no better way than this to offer our prayers on this occasion. The aim behind this was purely to offer prayers to Lord Shiva," Vyas said.

He added that the Rudraksha holds a lot of importance in Hindu holy texts and thus he has raised this twenty-five feet tall structure.

"I am coming to this place for the second time to attend this ritual and be a part of it. I have never seen such a huge Rudraksha Shiva Lingam. This is the first time that I am witnessing such a creation," said Geeta Taylor, a visitor from London.

The height of the Shiva Lingam is increased by four to five feet every year. Last year, the height of the Lingam was 21 feet, but this year its 25-feet height has made it the tallest in the country.

Around 800,000 Rudraksha beads have put to use and it took about 19,000 hours to create this Shiva Lingam. (ANI)