Shaligram stones of the Kali Gandaki

Black ammonite-bearing stones revered in Hindu tradition. Geology and tradition describe them in different, complementary ways.

Kali Gandaki valley, Nepal · Jurassic marine rocks

Shaligrams are revered in Hindu tradition as sacred stones associated with Vishnu. Geologically, many are concretions containing ammonite fossils eroded from Jurassic marine shales exposed in the Kali Gandaki valley of the Himalaya.

We label the cultural meaning a Traditional Account and the geological origin a documented observation, without ranking one as more valuable than the other.