Amalaka

An amalaka (Sanskrit: आमलक), is a segmented or notched stone disk, usually with ridges on the rim, that sits on the top of a Hindu temple's shikhara or main tower.

[1] The name and, according to some sources the shape, of the amalaka comes from the fruit of Phyllanthus emblica (or Mirobalanus embilica),[2] the Indian gooseberry, or myrobolan fig tree.

[6] The oldest representation of an Amalaka as the base for the kalasha is seen in a door jamb at the Dahshavatara temple at Deogarh, dated to about 500 AD.

[7] Amalakas appear to have been common at the top of shikhara by the Gupta period, though no originals remain in place.

It is seen as a ring gripping and embracing a notional pillar that rises from the main cult image of the deity below it in the sanctum, and reaches up to heaven through the top of the temple.