Yoni

Yoni (; Sanskrit: "womb", "uterus", "vagina", "vulva", "abode", or "source") is a stylised representation of female genitalia representing the goddess Shakti in Hinduism. Within Shaivism, the sect dedicated to the god Shiva, the yoni symbolises his consort. The male counterpart of the yoni is the lingam. The union of the yoni and lingam represents the eternal process of creation and regeneration, the union of male and female principles, and all existence. In art and sculpture, this union is represented by a cylinder (lingam, often interpreted as a stylised phallus) resting within a spouted dish (yoni).