Dvaravati sila

A dvaravati shila is a type of coral stone (shaligrama) discovered from the Gomti river in Dwarka in Gujarat, India. In ancient Sanskrit literature, Dvaraka was called Dvarawati and was listed as one of the seven prehistoric (oldest) cities in the country. This way, the Sila or the stone found at the mouth of the Gomati river is called the Dvaravati Sila and is used in worship.

Dvaraka Silas are coral with chakra (wheel) markings, and the chakra-mark is the most noticing feature of these stones, and this is why they are called ‘chakrankita-sila’.

Aniconic representation of God is by a symbol rather than an image. Indian art extremely likes the iconic image, but some aniconism does happen in folk worship, in early Hinduism in the form of Vishnu's Saligrama Sila (murthi) (fossil stone), Dvaravati Sila (coral stone), Govardhana Sila (stone from the Govardhan hill), etc. They have solar significance (importance of the sun), and their use in worship is very common among all groups of Vaishnavites of Hindu religion.