Image title: Ammonites (Shaligrams) information

Ammonites are invertebrate animals belonging to the Phylum Mollusca, Class Cephalopoda and Sub-class Ammonoidea. Ammonites appeared in the Lower Devonian (about 400 million years ago) and became extinct by the end of Cretaceous (about 65 million years ago). They typically have an external chambered shell, planispirally coiled and often ornamented with ribs and knobs.

Concretionary balls or nodules with ammonite fossils forming the nuclei are known by Shaligrams in Nepal and India. Shaligrams have great importance in Hindu religion. According to Hindu mythology, Shaligram is one of the forms of God Vishnu. The Hindu people in Nepal and India worship Shaligrams as deities. Some Shaligrams contain golden laminations, which is confused with gold. However, this is pyrite (fool's gold), a sulfide of iron (FeS). Ammonites are found in the Tethys Sedimentary rocks of the Himalaya. In Nepal, ammonites are found in the Mustang area.

Hindi text (not proofread):

अमोनाइट (शालीग्राम)
अमोनाइट समुन्द्रमा पाइने मालुस्का फाइलमको सिफालोपोडा क्लासको अमोनाइडिया उप-क्लासमा पर्ने ढाड नभएको जनाबारको जिवावशेष हो । अमोनाइट भनिने जीव पृथ्वीमा आजभन्दा लगभग ४० करोड बर्ष पहिले देखापरेका थिए । यि जीवहरु छोटो समयमा पृथ्वीमा विस्तृत रुपमा फैलिए र छोटै समय अन्तरालमा लोप पनि भए । अमोनाइट आजभन्दा लगभग ६.५ करोड बर्ष पहिले पृथ्वी बाट लोप भएको अनुमान छ । असोनाइट को चक्का आकारमा गुडुल्की परेर बेरिएको कडा बाहिरी खोल हुन्छ । बाहिरी खोलमा गोला चक्रहरु हुन्छन ।
केन्द्रमा अमोनाइट को जिवावशेष भएको, गोलो, कालो ढुङ्गालाई नेपाल र भारतमा शालीग्राम नामले पुकारिन्छ । हिन्दु धर्ममा शालीग्रामको ठूलो महत्व छ । हिन्दु धर्मग्रन्थहरु (भागवत, पुराण) अनुसार शालीग्राम बिष्णुको शिला रुप हो । बिष्णुले जालन्धरकी पत्नि बृन्दालाई झुक्काएर सतित्व हरण गरेको हुनाले “तेरो मन ढुङ्गाको जस्तो रहेछ त्यसकारण तँ ढुङ्गा भएस" भनी दिएको सरापका कारण बिष्णुले शिलारुप धारण गरी बैकुण्ठबाट कालीगण्डकीमा आएर बसेको धार्मिक विश्वास छ । यसकारण हिन्दुहरु शालीग्रामलाइ घरमा राखी बिष्णुको रुपमा पूजा गर्दछन । कहिलेकाही शालीग्राममा सुन जस्तो लेपन देखिन्छ । बास्तवमा यो सुन नभएर पाइराइट भनिने खनिज हो । सुन जस्तो देखिने हुनाले पाइराइटलाइ मुर्खको सुन पनि भनिन्छ ।

Transcription:

amonāiṭa (śālīgrāma)
amonāiṭa samundramā pāine māluskā phāilamako siphālopoḍā klāsako amonāiḍiyā upa-klāsamā parne ḍhāḍa nabhaeko janābārako jivāvaśeṣa ho | amonāiṭa bhanine jīva pṛthvīmā ājabhandā lagabhaga 40 karoḍa barṣa pahile dekhāparekā thie | yi jīvaharu choṭo samayamā pṛthvīmā vistṛta rupamā phailie ra choṭai samaya antarālamā lopa pani bhae | amonāiṭa ājabhandā lagabhaga 6.5 karoḍa barṣa pahile pṛthvī bāṭa lopa bhaeko anumāna cha | asonāiṭa ko cakkā ākāramā guḍulkī parera berieko kaḍā bāhirī khola huncha | bāhirī kholamā golā cakraharu hunchana |
kendramā amonāiṭa ko jivāvaśeṣa bhaeko, golo, kālo ḍhuṅgālāī nepāla ra bhāratamā śālīgrāma nāmale pukārincha | hindu dharmamā śālīgrāmako ṭhūlo mahatva cha | hindu dharmagranthaharu (bhāgavata, purāṇa) anusāra śālīgrāma biṣṇuko śilā rupa ho | biṣṇule jālandharakī patni bṛndālāī jhukkāera satitva haraṇa gareko hunāle “tero mana ḍhuṅgāko jasto rahecha tyasakāraṇa taṃ ḍhuṅgā bhaesa" bhanī dieko sarāpakā kāraṇa biṣṇule śilārupa dhāraṇa garī baikuṇṭhabāṭa kālīgaṇḍakīmā āera baseko dhārmika viśvāsa cha | yasakāraṇa hinduharu śālīgrāmalāi gharamā rākhī biṣṇuko rupamā pūjā gardachana | kahilekāhī śālīgrāmamā suna jasto lepana dekhincha | bāstavamā yo suna nabhaera pāirāiṭa bhanine khanija ho | suna jasto dekhine hunāle pāirāiṭalāi murkhako suna pani bhanincha |

Transcription:

amonaita (saligrama)
amonaita samundrama paine maluska phailamako siphalopoda klasako amonaidiya upa-klasama parne dhada nabhaeko janabarako jivavasesa ho | amonaita bhanine jiva prthvima ajabhanda lagabhaga 40 karoda barsa pahile dekhapareka thie | yi jivaharu choto samayama prthvima vistrta rupama phailie ra chotai samaya antaralama lopa pani bhae | amonaita ajabhanda lagabhaga 6.5 karoda barsa pahile prthvi bata lopa bhaeko anumana cha | asonaita ko cakka akarama gudulki parera berieko kada bahiri khola huncha | bahiri kholama gola cakraharu hunchana |
kendrama amonaita ko jivavasesa bhaeko, golo, kalo dhungalai nepala ra bharatama saligrama namale pukarincha | hindu dharmama saligramako thulo mahatva cha | hindu dharmagranthaharu (bhagavata, purana) anusara saligrama bisnuko sila rupa ho | bisnule jalandharaki patni brndalai jhukkaera satitva harana gareko hunale “tero mana dhungako jasto rahecha tyasakarana tam dhunga bhaesa" bhani dieko sarapaka karana bisnule silarupa dharana gari baikunthabata kaligandakima aera baseko dharmika visvasa cha | yasakarana hinduharu saligramalai gharama rakhi bisnuko rupama puja gardachana | kahilekahi saligramama suna jasto lepana dekhincha | bastavama yo suna nabhaera pairaita bhanine khanija ho | suna jasto dekhine hunale pairaitalai murkhako suna pani bhanincha |

Comparative table

Here follows a lexicon table of native and vernacular words and their possible Sanskrit equivalents, based on the image text.

Gallery information:

The museum exhibitions in this gallery are from the International Mountain Museum in Pokhara. They belong to the category “Flora and Fauna Section” (vanaspati tatha jivjantu shakha).