Nepal Police have confiscated 894 kg of shaligram stone packed in 34 white sacks during checks in Mastang. The vehicle carrying Shaligram was going to Jomsom. The collection of large amounts of Shaligrams is prohibited in Nepal. The illegally transported Shaligram was handed over to the Annapurna Conservation Area Project’s head office in Pokhara for investigation.

Our Special Correspondent from Nepal reports that the Shaligram Stones are fossilised stone or ammonite collected from the riverbed and banks of the Kali Gandaki, a tributary of the Gandaki River. Hindu devotees consider the Shaligram as a form of  God  Vishnu. The Kali Gandaki river flows through sacred places such as Muktinath and Damodar Kunda which enhances the spiritual significance of shaligram stones.