According to Yogiraj Siddhanath, a spiritual guru and founder of the Hamsa Yoga Sangh, a non-profit organisation that offers training in natural and healthy practices, the Shivling is a symbol for ‘earth peace.’ The temple was opened on the occasion of Mahashivratri.

Yogiraj Siddhanath told The Indian Express on Tuesday that the Shivling, which weighed over a tonne and was around 30 inches in height, was possibly the largest known akhand (unbroken) Shivling. “It can be termed the elusive philosopher’s stone and has a distinctive spherical shape,” he said.

Yogiraj Siddhanath said the science of mercury solidification, a technique that Europe and Arabia so dearly wanted but could not comprehend, has been known to India for 7,000 years, since the time of the Indo-Saraswati civilisation. Mercury, when solidified, sheds its toxic qualities and begins to exude a ‘nectarine’ effect, he elaborated, adding that it assists in slowing down the ageing process. “The ingestion of such pure mercury enables a true yogi to obtain a sanjeevan deh — an immaculate body — free from the ravages of time. It also helps in stabilising the mind and attaining a state of peaceful calm,” he said. The purification of mercury from its fluid to a solid state has 16 phases, he added.

Producing the mercury Shivling took one year and seven months, Yogiraj Siddhanath said. He also pointed out that the maintenance of a Shivling was no easy task. “A Shivling has a mind of its own. It has a wish-fulfilling quality but if it feels neglected, one will see the repercussions soon. Therefore, proper meditation and prayers are a must,” he said.

“It is wonderful that such a magnificent place of worship has been established here,” said Dr Sunil Jagtap of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Medical College of Yoga and Naturopathy, on Bajirao Road.