Panchayatan puja using stones

Back in 2014 we posted information about Panchayatan Puja Padhhati. Whereas in previous article, puja padhhati was described using idols, in this article it is described using stones.

In this panchayatan aradhana, instead of having five idols, there are five stones, which are equivalent to those of idols, are used in the worship. They are 

1. Banalingam - this represents Lord Shiva. This stone is found in Omkar kund of river Narmada. 

2. Swarnamukhi sheela - This represents Goddess Ambika. This type of stone is found in the swarnamukhi river in Andhra pradesh. 

3. Shaligram - This represents Lord Vishnu. This is found in river Gandaki in Nepal. 

4. Sfatik - This represents Sun. This is found in a place known as Vallam in Tanjore district of Tamil Nadu. 

5. Sone bhadrasheela - This represents Lord Ganesha. It is found in river Sone in Bihar (Zharkhand) where it meets river Ganga.

Depending who you worship as a main deity, the placement of stones changes. E.g. in Maharashtra, Ganesha is considered as main deity and hence the stones are placed accordingly

Here are placement of stones for each Panchayatan

Ganesha Pramukh Panchayatan

Shiva Pramukh Panchayatan

Vishnu Pramukh Panchayatan

Ambika Pramukh Panchayatan

Surya Pramukh Panchayatan