Shiva
<p ><b>Shiva</b> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English" title="Help:IPA for English" >/</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >ˈ</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >ʃ</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >i</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >v</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >ə</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English" title="Help:IPA for English" >/</a>; <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanskrit" title="Sanskrit" >Sanskrit</a>: <i>Śiva</i>, meaning "The Auspicious One"), also known as <i>Mahadeva</i> ("Great <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deva(Hinduism)" title="Deva (Hinduism)" >God</a>"), is a popular <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_deities" title="Hindu deities" >Hindu deity</a>. Shiva is regarded as one of the primary forms of God. He is the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_god" title="Supreme god" class="mw-redirect" >Supreme God</a> within <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaivism" title="Shaivism" >Shaivism</a>, one of the three most influential denominations in contemporary <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism" title="Hinduism" >Hinduism</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Flood_1996.2C_p.17_2-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva#cite_note-Flood_1996.2C_p.17-2" >[2]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva#cite_note-3" >[3]</a></sup> He is one of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panchayatana_puja" title="Panchayatana puja" >the five primary forms of God</a> in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smarta" title="Smarta" class="mw-redirect" >Smarta</a> tradition,<sup id="cite_ref-Flood_1996.2C_p.17_2-1" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva#cite_note-Flood_1996.2C_p.17-2" >[2]</a></sup> and "the Destroyer" or "the Transformer"<sup id="cite_ref-Zimmer_1972_p.124_4-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva#cite_note-Zimmer_1972_p._124-4" >[4]</a></sup> among the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trimurti" title="Trimurti" >Trimurti</a>, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine.
Shiva has many benevolent and fearsome forms.<sup id="cite_ref-SharmaBN_5-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva#cite_note-SharmaBN-5" >[5]</a></sup> At the highest level Shiva is limitless, transcendent, unchanging and formless.<sup id="cite_ref-Shaivism_enc_6-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva#cite_note-Shaivism_enc-6" >[6]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Stella_param_7-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva#cite_note-Stella_param-7" >[7]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Abhay_8-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva#cite_note-Abhay-8" >[8]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Davis_param_9-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva#cite_note-Davis_param-9" >[9]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Chatterji_10-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva#cite_note-Chatterji-10" >[10]</a></sup> In benevolent aspects, he is depicted as an omniscient <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yogi" title="Yogi" >Yogi</a> who lives an ascetic life on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Kailash" title="Mount Kailash" >Mount Kailash</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-Zimmer_1972_p.124_4-1" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva#cite_note-Zimmer_1972_p.124-4" >[4]</a></sup> as well as a householder with wife <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parvati" title="Parvati" >Parvati</a> and his two children, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganesha" title="Ganesha" >Ganesha</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kartikeya" title="Kartikeya" >Kartikeya</a> and in fierce aspects, he is often depicted slaying demons. Shiva is also regarded as the patron god of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoga" title="Yoga" >yoga</a> and arts.<sup id="cite_ref-Shiv_samhita_11-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva#cite_note-Shiv_samhita-11" >[11]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Varenne_12-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva#cite_note-Varenne-12" >[12]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva#cite_note-13" >[13]</a></sup>
The main iconographical attributes of Shiva are the third eye on his forehead, the snake <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasuki" title="Vasuki" >Vasuki</a> around his neck, the crescent <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon" title="Moon" >moon</a> adorning, the holy river <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganga" title="Ganga" class="mw-redirect" >Ganga</a> flowing from his matted hair, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trishula" title="Trishula" >trishula</a> as his weapon and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damaru" title="Damaru" >damaru</a> as his instrument.
Shiva is usually worshiped in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aniconic" title="Aniconic" class="mw-redirect" >aniconic</a> form of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingam" title="Lingam" >Lingam</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Davis_worship_14-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva#cite_note-Davis_worship-14" >[14]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Fowler_15-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva#cite_note-Fowler-15" >[15]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Fuller_16-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva#cite_note-Fuller-16" >[16]</a></sup> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_temples" title="Hindu temples" class="mw-redirect" >Temples</a> of Lord Shiva are called <i>shivalayam</i>.</p>