Shiva(
/ˈʃɪvə/; Sanskrit: शिव Śiva, meaning "auspicious one") is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer of evil or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power, he lives a life of a sage at Mount Kailash.[2] In the Shaiva tradition of Hinduism, Shiva is seen as the Supreme God and has five important works: creator, preserver, destroyer, concealer, and revealer (to bless). In the Smarta tradition, he is regarded as one of the five primary forms of God.[3] Followers of Hinduism who focus their worship upon Shiva are called Shaivites or Shaivas (Sanskrit Śaiva).[4] Shaivism, along with Vaiṣṇava traditions that focus on Vishnu and Śākta traditions that focus on the goddess Shakti, is one of the most influential denominations in Hinduism.[3]
Shiva is usually worshipped in the abstract form of Shiva linga. In images, he is represented as immersed in deep meditation or dancing the Tandavadance upon Apasmara, the demon of ignorance in his manifestation of Nataraja, the Lord of the dance. He is also the father of the deities Ganesha,Murugan (Kartikeya), and Ayyappan (Dharma Sastha).
Five is a sacred number for Shiva.[166] One of his most important mantras has five syllables (namaḥ śivāya).[167]
Shiva's body is said to consist of five mantras, called the pañcabrahmans.[168] As forms of God, each of these have their own names and distinct iconography:[169]
Main page: Shiva temples
There are many Shiva temples in the Indian subcontinent, the Jyotirlinga temples being the most prominent.
[edit]Jyotirlinga temples
Main article: Jyotirlinga temples
The holiest Shiva temples are the 12 Jyotirlinga temples.
| Jyotirlinga | Location | |
|---|---|---|
| Somnath |  | Prabhas Patan, near Veraval, Gujarat |
| Mahakaleshwar |  | Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh |
| Omkareshwar |  | near Indore, Madhya Pradesh |
| Kedarnath |  | Kedarnath, Uttarakhand |
| Bhimashankar |  | Disputed:
|
| Kashi Vishwanath | Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh | |
| Trimbakeshwar |  | Trimbak, near Nasik, Maharashtra |
| Ramanathaswamy |  | Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu |
| Grishneshwar |  | near Ellora, Maharashtra |
| Vaidyanath | Disputed:
| |
| Nageshwar |  | Disputed:
|
| Mallikarjuna Swamy |  | Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh |
[edit]Manifestations
In South India, five temples of Shiva are held to be particularly important, as being manifestations of him in the five elemental substances:
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