In summer, in the Indian state of Karnataka, when the Shalmala river turns into a stream, an amazing archaeological complex of figures and structures carved from stone appears from under the water, which is called Sahasralinga (from the Indian "Sahasra" - thousands and "lingas" - objects).
This archaeological complex attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the world and pilgrims from India every year. On the Hindu holiday of Maha Shivaratri, the day of Shiva's marriage, thousands of pilgrims visit Sahasralinga to offer their prayers to Shiva.
When the level of the river drops, a variety of mysterious stone figures, carved from stone, are exposed from under the water.
These figures are believed to have been carved from stone during the reign of Sadashivaraya, King of Sirsi, who ruled the Vijayanagar Empire for forty years, from 1678 to 1718, and are powerful Hindu symbols. Lingas, found in many temples, represent the energy and potential of the god Shiva. Sahasralinga in Sanskrit means "one thousand lingas".
However, the geometric accuracy and the complexity of processing make us think about the technologies that could cut stones with such precision.
Of particular interest is the stone monolith, which looks like a dial or part of some unknown mechanism from a science fiction film. What this design was for - scientists are still lost in conjecture:
Stone monolith in the Sahasralinga complex.
Promotional video:
* Dial * of a stone monolith in the Sahasralinga complex.
Unfortunately, the structure has come down to us in a broken state, so one can only imagine its original shape.
Similar figures have been found elsewhere throughout India, but nowhere are they found in such vast numbers as in the Shalmala River. When the water level is low it looks incredible!