Bhutalingas (literally, "elemental lingas") are a kind of linga.
Five holy places (tirthas) in southern India, four in Tamil Nadu and one in Andhra Pradesh, are all devoted to the deity Shiva.
- The linga, a pillar-shaped form symbolizing Shiva, is the most holy item in each of these sites.
- The linga is said to be made out of one of the five fundamental elements, which makes these locations unique.
Thus, the linga in Tiruvannamalai is made of fire; the linga in Jambukeshvar is made of water; the linga in Kanchipuram is made of soil; the linga in Kalahasti, Andhra Pradesh's holy place, is made of air; and the linga in Chidambaram is made of space.
These five locations together form a metaphorical cosmology that includes all things created.
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