Banalinga is the most important type of the Shiva lingas worshipped everywhere
in India by both the householders and the saints. There are numerous stories in the
ancient Indian texts, which narrate the origin of the Banalinga.
Sutasamhita mention that it is related to Bana , the demon king who was
devotee of the Lord. Shiva. He used to worship the Lord everyday an earthen
Linga built by his own self. The lord was pleased and appeared in person in front
of the demon king. ..
Bana said, “My Lord, if thou art really pleased upon me, then grant me the boon that from thy devotees may worship thee in a permanent form of thy Linga and thus be free from the trouble of making an earthen Linga every
day.
This boon was granted and immediately on the desire of the Lord, 14 crores
of permanent Lingas were formed automatically in different parts of the world.
All these Lingas were formed on the prayer of the demon king, they were called
Banalingas.
Different types of the Banalingas:
According to another a scholar in the same Tantra text that Banalinga has no
relation with the demon king. Bana stands for Sada Shiva and the name Banalinga
was given to a permanent type of the Lord’s symbol because of its being created
by the Lord himself whose another name is Bana.
Banalingas may resemble to
• A Lolus fruit
• A ring
• A ripe berry
• An egg of a hen
• An egg of a duck
Regarding their color, they may have any one of the following:
• White
• Blue
• the color of honey
• the color of Marakata type of gem
According to Laksana samuccaya the Banalingas may be white, red, yellow or
black. These are worshipped by the different castes i.e. white by the Brahmins, red by the Ksahtriyas, yellow by the Vaishnavas and the black by the Sudras. The
same authority mentions that the Banalingas of the dark color may be worshipped by the people belonging to any one of the four castes..
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Source #Divine_Shaligram
Sanatana Samacharam 