Lord Shiva
शिव — The Destroyer and Transformer
Iconography & Symbolism
Third eye on forehead (destroyed Kamadeva with it). Blue throat (Neelkanth — drank Halahala poison). Crescent moon in matted hair. River Ganga flowing from hair. Serpent Vasuki around neck. Tiger skin garment. Trishul (trident) and damaru (drum). Rudraksha mala. Ash-smeared body.
Story & Mythology
Shiva is Swayambhu (self-manifested). When Brahma and Vishnu argued about who was supreme, an infinite pillar of light appeared. Brahma flew up as a swan and Vishnu dug down as a boar — neither found its end. Shiva revealed himself from the pillar as the supreme reality. As Nataraja, his cosmic dance (Tandava) creates and destroys the universe in endless cycles. He drank the Halahala poison during Samudra Manthan to save creation, turning his throat blue.
Sacred Mantras
Major Temples
- 🛕12 Jyotirlingas across India
- 🛕Kashi Vishwanath (Varanasi)
- 🛕Kedarnath (Uttarakhand)
- 🛕Somnath (Gujarat)
- 🛕Mahakaleshwar (Ujjain)
- 🛕Rameshwaram (Tamil Nadu)