Episode 58 - Dr Holly Walters - Shaligram Stones

My guest for this episode is anthropologist and author Dr Holly Walters, who joined me to talk about her work researching Shaligram stones, sacred fossil ammonites found in a remote area of Himalayan Nepal. They are seen as direct expressions of the divine in the landscape and objects very much with their own agency, making pilgrimages through time and space, and their veneration has been a part of Buddhist and Hindu practice for over two thousand years.

Interestingly the mystical nature of Shaligrams does not interfere with an interpretation of them as fossilised creatures, or their existence millions of years ago as living ammonites. They represent in microcosm the ability for something to have both meaning and explanation in balance, without one needing to supersede the other.

In the interview I talk more about this with Holly, along with a general discussion about Shaligram stones themselves and their history as sacred objects. Given their birthplace is in the Himalayas, we also talked a little about how the Yeti and the supernatural in general is understood and interpreted in that part of the world.

To find out more about Holly's work and Shaligram stones, her excellent blog can be found at https://www.peregrinationblog.com/.

Her article 'Yeti or not! Here I come!' can be found here.

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