(Updated 10/05/2021 with text from the Revised & Expanded second edition of The Piercing Bible

I received a message from a man who was considering nontraditional placement for an apadravya piercing:

Question:

I am interested in having my penis pierced. Basically, I am interested in an Apadravya, but I wanted to know if it is necessary that the top hole be in the head of the penis? I would like to have it emerge through the shaft, just behind the head. Is this possible? Or does it have to be through the head?

Thank you so much for all that you do.

K.

My response:

K,

Some piercers are willing to do that for you, but I suspect they haven't seen a cross section of penis anatomy indicating the central location of the deep dorsal vein and artery. 

Being well aware of these crucial structures, I will not do a shaft placement on an apadravya (nor an ampallang).

Did you need a referral to a piercer in your area or were you considering getting pierced by me? Where are you located?

This is from my book, The Piercing Bible--The Definitive Guide to Safe Body Piercing:

Apadravya Piercing: Placement and Choice of Jewelry

The apadravya is pierced vertically through the glans. Traditional placement is where the coronal ridge (rim of tissue between the glans and shaft) begins to flare, but it could also be placed forward of that. Because it passes through the urethra, it usually heals faster than an American ampallang.

The apadravya is unique because this single placement incorporates multiple piercings: a Prince Albert on the lower portion and a reverse PA on the upper.

Initial jewelry for the apadravya is a barbell. Later, you could wear different pieces in various combinations: a ring in the PA plus a barbell through the entire glans, or separate jewelry in the PA and reverse PA segments, for example. The apadravya can be performed to work with a previous piercing: it is quite common to extend an existing PA up through the top. If you have a large enough Prince Albert, it might be possible to wear a shorter post by sizing the bottom ball to fit inside the PA hole. This is especially helpful for healing on those with a considerable difference between flaccid and erect dimensions. Alternatively, those extending an enlarged PA into an apadravya may prefer to wear a large ball, disc, or M&M to prevent the bottom of the jewelry from pulling into the piercing channel.

When you have the apadravya performed in one session, advantages include a single healing period and the assurance that the upper and lower parts of the piercing align nicely. If you already have a Prince Albert that is set well off to one side of your midline, it might be possible to make an apadravya on the other side and keep your PA as a separate piercing, if desired. However, the jewelry will pinch the sensitive tissue underneath if there is not enough space between the two holes.