Sticky in Chennai

A popular image for the deity Shiva is a lingam. What’s a lingam? A male sexual organ. In temples to Shiva one can find many lingams -- symbols of the potency and power of Shiva. (I the past I’ve asked E if we can get a shiva lingam for the house but the idea did not go over well.)

In the Buddhist Art museum of Singapore, a small but wonderfully engaging museum, there are many ancient and fantastic Buddha statues and one really large Shiva lingam. The security guard told Esmerelda that if she placed her hands on the lingam and concentrated hard enough it would put us in the family way in the very near future. The guard also told us that Japanese in particular are great admirers of the power of the Shiva lingam.  Young Japanese couples are known to embrace a large lingam together in an effort to boost their reproductive powers.