What Exactly Is A Shiva Lingam?

Lord Shiva is one of the three main Hindu gods. A Shiva lingam is an aniconic representation of Lord Shiva. Hindus worship him mostly in the form of a Shiva lingam, but its meaning has been one of the most debated topics. There are mainly two groups; one believes it is a sexual organ and another believes it is not. They both give many different arguments in the support of their perspective. With the advent of science and technology, one more group has emerged which strongly believes that there is some sort of science behind the concept of Shiva Lingam.
But what are the reasons behind this confusion?1. There are some stories in the Hindu scriptures that depict it as a sexual organ while some stories say it is a column of fire.2. Many different meanings of the words linga and yoni.3. Ancient pillar/phallus worship.4. Different practices of different Hindu sects.5. The shape of a Shiva lingam. In February 2010, the encyclopedia Britannica removed a sentence about Shiva lingam from its article."In temples and in private shrines, Shiva is ...
worshipped in the form of the lingam, or phallus, often embedded in the yoni, the symbol of the female sexual organ."When we talk about religion, the scriptures are of utmost importance. Therefore, in this book, I have sought refuge mainly in scriptures to determine what exactly a Shiva Lingam is, but I have also considered other things like archaeological evidence, logic, history, science, etc. I am sure that this book would not only answer what a Shiva lingam really is but also you would learn many new things about Hinduism.