NARRATOR: Sirsi, India.
10 miles outside of the city,
in the southwestern state
of Karnataka, within
the river Shalmala
is one of the
country's most popular
pilgrimage sites, Sahasralinga.
Hidden under these waters
for most of the year
lie stone sculptures
known as Shiva lingams.
These sacred idols are
representations of the god
Shiva, and are
visible to thousands
of pilgrims once a year at the
festival of Maha Shivaratri.
Maha Shivaratri is a festival
where Shiva is worshipped
for his great nature.
Maha Shivaratri is usually
held in the end of February
or beginning of March.
During that month, the water
level of the Shalmala River
drops down so that all the
Shiva lingas are exposed.
LAYNE LITTLE: Shiva is
depicted as the Shiva linga,
as kind of a spherical
column, the flaming
pillar that is the cosmic
axis of the universe.
Every Shiva linga that's in
worship is set into a yoni.
This is a special base.
And it actually serves kind
of a utility of function.
It's a spout that,
when you pour offerings
over the surface of the linga,
they wash over the sacred body.
Images of the Shiva
linga are found
throughout Southeast Asia,
even in parts of East Asia.
Sometimes images of
Shiva as the lingam
also made its way into
China and into Japan.
NARRATOR: The Shiva lingam first
appeared over 2,000 years ago,
and there is still debate
over what this shape was
originally meant to symbolize.
But ancient astronaut
theorists suggest
that the icon may
represent an incredibly
powerful technological device.
Modern Hindu
scholars have theorized
that the Shiva
linga stone actually
represents atomic energy.
When we think about this idea
of what atomic energy can do,
how it can be used for good
but it can be extraordinarily
destructive, this certainly
pertains to the mythology
of Shiva, who is
chaotic energy, who
is a force for incredible
good but also a force
for incredible destruction.
NARRATOR: Is it possible that
this symbol of Shiva's power
actually represents
atomic energy?
Ancient astronaut
theorists say yes,
and suggest the proof
can be found by examining
this mysterious shape.
PRAVEEN MOHAN: The cylindrical
structure of the Shiva linga
is similar or
almost identical to
a modern-day nuclear reactor.
And the groove that
surrounds the base
represents the structures
built to dispose
of the polluted water.
In ancient times,
and even today,
Hindus pour water or milk on
top of Shiva linga as a ritual.
Today, we pour water over
the top of nuclear reactor
to cool it.
And interestingly,
most Shiva temples
are always found near water
bodies, like rivers or lakes,
just like nuclear power plants.
So is it possible that Shiva
linga actually represents
an ancient nuclear power plant?
WILLIAM HENRY: In the story
of Shiva and the Shiva linga,
we're obviously
dealing with some kind
of a universal or cosmic power
that we didn't fully understand
until the 20th century with
the discovery of nuclear power
and nuclear fission.
When J. Robert Oppenheimer,
the father of the atomic bomb,
observed the first atomic
explosion at the Trinity test
site, he cited a line
from the Bhagavad Gita,
"I have become death,
destroyer of worlds."
That's the title of Shiva.
Perhaps we should listen
and look at these stories
from a new perspective.
What is the description about?
Could it be that Shiva
was some type of energy?
We are approaching the beginning
of a new future for mankind,
so in a sense, it's
the end of an era
and the turning of a new page.
The extraterrestrials
will come back,
and it will be the most amazing
chapter in human history.
