Swayambu

Svayambhu (स्वयम्भू) is a Sanskrit word that means "self-manifested", "self-existing", or "that is created by its own accord". In Tibetan, this word appears as "Rangjung" རང་བྱུང་ .

Often, the word swayambhu is used to describe a self manifested image of a deity, otr ku (Tibetan) which was not made by human hands, but instead is naturally arisen, or generated by nature. Rangjung in Tibetan language or in Dzongkha expresses the concept of a self-arisen manifestation. Throughout the Tibetan cultural sphere there are sacred seed syllables, mantras or depiction of deities that a presumed not to be man-made, but "rangjung", self arisen or autogenic. For example, in the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa is a rangjung goat's head in a side chapel protruding out of a big rock.

Based on details in Bhagavata Purana and Matsya Purana, Narayana or Krishna is said to be the self-manifested svayambhu form of Brahman as the first cause of creation. (See Hiranyagarbha)

Inside the 40 m (130 ft) high Amarnath cave, the stalagmite is formed due to freezing of water drops that fall from the roof of the cave on to the floor and grows up vertically from the cave floor.[4] It is considered to be a Shiva Linga by Hindus. The Cave waxes during May to August, as snow melts in the Himalayas above the cave and the resultant water seeps into the rocks that form the cave and gradually wanes thereafter.[1] As per the religious beliefs, it has been claimed that the lingam grows and shrinks with the phases of the moon reaching its height during the summer festival, although there is no scientific evidence for this belief.[5]

1 "Amarnathji Yatra - a journey into faith". Official Web Site of Jammu and Kashmir Tourism. 4 "Stalactites and Stalagmites - Cave, Water, Caves, and Growth - JRank Articles". Science.jrank.org. Retrieved 2013-04-15. Jump up ^ Ortner, Jon. 5 On the road again. PDN Gallery.

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