Those who believe in God’s presence, consider its holy sighting a blessing in disguise. And, one Indian state is beaming with joy for having found a hidden lay of over 1000 Shivlingas!

Under extreme hot weather, the receding water levels of the Shalmala River in Karnataka, unveiled uncountable carvings of Shivlings!

Linga is symbol for worshipping Hindu God, Shiva, and Sahasralinga means, thousands of Linga carvings.

Located around 17 Kms from Sirsi of Uttara Kanara (Northern part of Karnataka), one can find these thousand carvings of Lord Shiva complete with bulls carved in front of them, denoting Nandi.

It is believed that these Shivlingas were built by King of Sirsi, Sadashivaray, as an ode to his deity, somewhere in 1678-1718.

The King ensured that each of the Shivlinga was completely guarded by Bull carvings to symbolize, Lord Shiva’s favourite Nandi.

It is said, after King Sadashivaray’s demise, Shalmala River devoured these Shivlings beneath the waves, to hide this propitious place from the eyes off all.

And, after all these years, due to extreme hot weather, the river dried up and revealed these auspicious carvings.

Each year, thousands of Hindus gather around this holy place on Mahashivratri to offer their prayers to Lord Shiva.

It might shock you, but there is another Sahasralinga built outside India. Known to be home of world’s largest Hindu temple outside India, Cambodia also is home to another Sahasralinga, which is dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

Located almost 25 kms from Angkor Watt temple, these thousands of Shivlinga carvings in the middle of the river, have been for years amusing the locals in and around.

Though nobody worships these Lingas, but it continues to attract hordes of tourists from around the World.

Apart from Shivlingas, the place known as Kbal Spean, also have carvings of Goddess Laxmi, Lord Ram and Lord Hanuman. Nobody knows who built these carvings, but locals believe that this blessing is way to keep their lands fertile.

During the civil war in Cambodia, most of the Hindu symbols were destroyed, but Sahasralinga remained untouched, thanks to the dense forest, which still makes it accessible to only a few who are determined to reach it.