Temple of Lingam and Divine Hole

I am a monk in the Temple of the Great Lingam and the Divine Hole, where we worship the father and mother gods who made the world and keep it fertile. It is a great honour, as only the best students get to be monks. We are tested at 16 on our knowledge of the Holy Book, mathematics and knowledge of the world, and the best go on to further studies. At 18, half of us get to be monks for three years. Men only, of course. Girls stop their education when they are blessed with their first bleeding, and only men may visit the temple. Women can pay a man to carry out devotions on their behalf.

We serve for three years, and when I finish I am sure to get a pretty wife and a good position, unless I go on to be a priest, of course. My family are so proud of what I am doing. I know my father made very many offerings at the temple to pray that I get selected as a monk, so I am grateful to him for that.

There are two places of worship in the temple, the Great Lingam, and the Divine Hole, or Yoni, with sculpture representing these holy objects, and people come to worship according to what they want, as they give different blessings. Obviously if they want a male child they worship the Great Lingam, while if they want a daughter or a female calf then it is the Divine Hole. There are many other reasons. The Great Lingam is for rain, the Divine Hole for an abundant harvest, for example.

The temple is open from dawn till dusk each day, except on festivals, and the main job of the monks is to deal with those who come to make their offerings to the god, and to make a contribution to the temple, of course. We work in shifts, but overall we serve worshippers for four hours a day, study for four hours a day, exercise so that we remain fit and supple, and do the necessary jobs, such as cleaning, cooking, washing, repairs, tending our herb garden and sorting the contributions. Worshippers come from villages several days journey away to this important place.

To worship, the citizen must make suitable contribution to the upkeep of the temple, enter his lingam into the receptacle of the gods, and discharge his seed. The monks and priests are the receptacles, as I will now describe.

When we start as monks, we have to fast and pray, and make offerings to the Great Lingam and the Divine Hole for three days. We help each other to cleanse our own holes, and then we are each blessed by a priest inserting his lingam and depositing his holy seed. From then on, our holes are also divine and may receive the seeds of the worshippers. They may be called yonis. Likewise, the priest's seed makes our mouth divine for this purpose.

Of course, we receive training for this, and are assigned a mentor from the second or third year monks. They test us on our familiarity with the Holy Book, and teach us the rituals and practices of the temple. They show us how to clean our holes so that they are fit for worship, and insert small models of the Great Lingam many times each day. These are holy objects, many very old, and it is a privilege to learn to accommodate them. They also put their own lingams into our mouths and we practise the technique we will use on the worshippers. They must not put their own seed into us, of course, until we have been blessed by that of the priest. However, they are usually the first after the priest. It is a holy thing, but it is also a great joy for the new monk and his tutor.

Our yonis and mouths are available at any time for the priests, whose seeds give us blessings. Some priests are so holy that they pray several times a day. We should ejaculate each day (unless ill), but not waste it. All the seeds of the monks and priests are sacred and must not be spilled on the ground. If we are very fortunate, a priest will tell us to put our seeds in his mouth or Divine Hole. Some priests do this more than others, and some monks are given this honour more often. Until I marry, I must make sure that my seed always goes into a priest or monk and should carry out this act of worship each day if possible.

When we serve the Great Lingam, we receive the offerings of the worshippers in our mouths, and must clean them beforehand. For the Yoni, of course it is our holes that are blessed. Thus before starting we have to cleanse and oil them. We have a special diet including herbs so that our holes can be kept clean easily, and there is little smell.

Obviously, women cannot participate in this holy ritual, so have a man in their families to do it for them or pay someone. There are men who live close to the temple who make a living by offering this service. Those with the largest lingams are the most prized, and can be difficult for us to take, but we must do our holy duty without complaint. They are particularly employed by men who pray for the strength of their own lingam to be restored.

Sometimes one of these men arrives late in the day, having made several offerings already, and we know it may take a long time for him to produce an offering. If he cannot deliver it, then the prayer is refused, so we encourage him all we can.

Every day I am very excited to know that I am going to be the conduit from the worshipper to the god, and thankful that I have been granted the joy of this holy ritual. Of course men should put their seed into their wives and it is normally forbidden to put his lingam into another man's mouth or hole. However, it can be done to a priest or monk, providing it is with proper reverence and holy purpose.

At the Great Lingam, I receive the seed into my mouth and swallow it. It does not matter if a little spills on the ground, because it is the worshipper's intention which counts, and the seed is not sacred like ours. It is usually a priest who makes the first offering, and a monk who receives it. There are usually three monks, two in chairs and one at the head of the queue. Each monk has a bowl of oil and there is another by the head of the queue to take the donations, ask what prayer they wish to make and keep them in order. It is the responsibility of the worshipper to make sure that his lingam is sufficiently erect when called forward, or his worship will not be accepted. Unfortunately it occasionally happens that a worshipper will cause his seed to come out while still waiting. His prayers cannot be accepted (though we do keep his contribution to the temple). This usually happens if some men take a particularly long time in the act of worship. Worshippers are told to refrain from sex for three days before, in order to make a worthy act of devotion, which is quick and copious.

Most worshippers are asking the god for something, but it is also possible to do this in thanks or just to praise the god. Some of our most pious citizens come to worship every week.

The procedure is that the monk at the head of the queue inspects the lingam for disease, and confirms that it is sufficiently erect for the prayer to be sincere, otherwise they are refused. Then they move to the monk who is the holy receptacle. I, for example, sit on the chair and the worshipper stands before me. (A priest tours the villages to take the offerings of the disabled. It is a pious thing he does, and very kind, I think.) I take the head of his lingam in my mouth and massage the shaft with my hand while he says his prayers. Some first-time worshippers try to thrust into my mouth and are punished with a smack to their testicles. I continue until he delivers his devotion, and I swallow as much as I can. With a man I have seen often before, such as one of the pious regulars or a professional, I will know if he spurts, or just drips, and will be prepared. About every five or six worshippers we will swap to rest our jaws, swallowing a little water.

It is good to receive so much seed into me on behalf of the god, and it of course contributes to our special diet. All sizes of lingam are of course welcome, big or small, but I feel especially privileged with one of those who have been favoured by the god.

At the Divine Hole there is a special device. It is a tilted and padded table that I can stand before and rest upon with my body bent over, so that my own hole is more available. There are actually two we can use depending on how many worshippers there are.

Before starting we have to make greater preparations, usually in pairs. My companion will take oil and feel in my hole, and extract with his finger any solid still there. Due to our diet, our stools are well-formed and come away easily. (If they are not like that because of illness, then I must not be used as a receptacle, and another monk will take my place.) He then uses a special object, like a watering can, but with a spout in the shape of the Great Lingam. It is glazed smooth and enters me very easily. This is used to wash me out. Then my companion will again enter me with an oiled finger and check that there is nothing amiss, because monks occasionally have injuries there.

As with the Great Lingam, a priest usually makes the first act of worship (though technically a monk is sufficient). It is always a thrill to be blessed in this way. My companion will pour oil on the priest's lingam and massage it a little, then the priest will enter me. When I have been blessed, my companion will remove the lingam carefully and put it into his mouth to capture any seed. Then the first worshipper is invited forward. My companion will from time to time dribble a little more oil over my hole.

It is very moving for me to know that at this time, I am not merely a representative, but I am actually part of the great goddess. I am her Divine Hole, receiving worship from the faithful. I do not know or care how long each one takes, as I feel such deep religious pleasure from each lingam thrust and such joy with each delivery of devotion. It is for my companion to manage the queue and decide when he should take his turn.

The temple is closed on the day of the full moon as we honour the great mother goddess. On this day, the priests receive prayers from the monks in their yonis. We pray twice if we are able. Since there are more monks than priests they are well filled with religious devotion. When the moon has risen, the High Priest himself receives prayers from all the priests in his Divine Hole. It occasionally happens that an old priest will be unable to do this, and will retire. Only those who can produce seed can receive it from the worshippers in the temple. However, his friends will usually visit him in his home afterwards and pray together.

On the day of the new moon, we honour the Great Lingam in the same way, the priests receiving us in their mouths.

It is a very good life, and I know that I will do well afterwards. Once blessed, our yonis remain sacred for ever. Thus when I am married, the bride's father and brothers will all worship it with their seed, after the priest, of course. The next day, my father and the other males in my family will deposit seed in my mouth in order to encourage fertility in the marriage. Both families may give prayers via me instead of the Temple if convenient, but should also go to the Temple sometimes.

I will of course pray at the Temple at least once a week, and ask for blessings or give thanks for matters such as the birth of son.

That is the future. Today the sun is shining and we young monks are cleaning our holes and helping each other to oil them well, so that we can receive many offerings to the Divine Hole. The crops are doing well, our animals are fit and healthy, and we have had a good number of babies born. It is wonderful to know that our worship is pleasing the gods, and I am proud to have played my part. I feel really fulfilled.