LORD SHIVA-DESTROYER OF EVIL
Shivji is associated with snakes (around his neck) and tiger skin (as his "aasan"-a piece of sheet placed on the ground and used for seating). According to one legend, once Shivji, accompained by Vishnuji in the guise of a beautiful woman, appeared to subdue a group of hermits who were against religious orthodoxy. To counter this, the hermits unleased a fierce tiger and set it against Shivji, who killed it and took its skin, to use it later as his aasan. Next, the hermits released a cobra to attack Shivji, who tamed it also and placed it round his neck. Lastly, the hermits sent out a fierce dwarf to attack Shivji, who put it under his feet and started performing a brilliant dance. After all this, the hermits acknowledged Shivji as PASHUPATI-THE MASTER OF ANIMALS. It may be noted that this also symbolises Shivji's control on animal instincts in humans.
ORIGIN
Sprang from the forehead of Bhramaji.
ABODE
He is also omnipresent but his favoured place is MOUNT KAILASH located in Himalayas. Other places frequently by him include Kashi and Triumbakeshwar located in Uttranchal and Maharashtra respectively. Shivji is one among the holy trinity. He represents generation, destruction and regeneration. Origin of the practice of yog-synchronization of any two entities but usually it is related to mind & body as the two entities, commonly called "YOGA" is credited to him.
SOME OTHER NAMES/EPITHETS
There are total 1008 Names/epithets for him but here I will mention some of the important ones:
| Ardhnarishwar |
Adinath |
Bhambhru |
Bhima |
Bhairon |
Ekambereshwar |
Gangadhar |
Kailashpati |
Ishan |
| Shankar |
Jatadhar |
Shambhu |
Sarva |
Sadashiv |
Mahesh |
Trinetra |
Trinayan |
Mrityunjaya |
| Tapakeshwar |
Tribhuvan |
Mahadev |
Neelkanth |
Vishwanath |
Natraj |
Vaidyanath |
Pashupati |
Yogiraj |
TYPICAL DEPICTION
Sitting on a tiger skin, cobras around neck, long hair tied into a mop atop head, crescent-the waxing moon on the mop of hair (acquired during Samudra manthan). GANGA falling from above on to his head and then flowing down, holding trident, ash smeared all over his body, holding mendicant's bowl. Accompanying him usually, are his wife Parvatiji, son Ganeshji and his vehicle bull, named Nandi.
-A drum (damru) is also shown with him, either in his hand or fixed of his trident.
-A third eye on the forehead, which when opened, can destroy anything, even the whole universe.
-Represented as Shivling-represents his phallus rising in the middle of the yoni representing Devi and this combination in turn representing the generative aspect of God, symbolising his generative power.
SOME TEMPLES
-Chidambaram Temple (TN)
-12 Jyotrilings said to be of divine origin
- SOMNATH in Gujarat
- MALLIKARJUN in AP
- MAHAKALESHWAR in MP
- OMKARESHWAR at the confluence of river Narmada & Kaveri in MP
- KEDARNATH in Uttranchal
- BHIMA SHANKAR in Maharastra
- KASHI VISHVANATH in Varanasi UP
- TRIUMBAKESHWAR & VAIDYANATH in Maharastra
- NAGANATH in Gujarat
- RAMESHWARAM in TN
- GHRISHNESHWAR in Maharastra
-Tapakeshwar Temple in Dehradun, Uttranchall
-Amarnath in Kashmir
RELATIVE FESTIVALS/CEREMONIES
Shivratri in the month of Magh-Jan/Feb of the Gregorian calendar is in respect of shivji. It is based on a legend about a hunter who was sleeping on a tree when leaves kept falling below on a Shivling, as the hunter kept adjusting his position. Shivji was very pleased and bestowed the hunter with good luck. This legend gave rise to the celebration of Shivratri, when throughout the night, worshippers keep showering leaves on Shivj's image. Mondays are observed as a day of fasting by Shivji's devotees to please him.
OTHER INTERSTING INFORMATION
Ganga was brought from heaven by sage Bhagirath and as earth would not be able to bear the impact, it was received by Shivji on his head and subsequently released to flow on earth.
During Samudra manthan, ocean threw up poison, which could destroy all living beings. All the gods kept back except Shivj who happily drank the poison to save others. While Shivj was drinking this poison, Parvatiji got alarmed and in an effort to prevent harm to Shivji, she tried to hold Shivji's throat. As a result, poison got stuck in Shivji's throat redenring a blue tinge. 
For this blue tinge in his neck, he is named NEELKANTH.
As Natraj, he is said to have created the basis for dancing. To destroy the world at the end of each cosmic cycle, he performs a deadly dance called Tandav Nritya.
Shivji cut off Brahmaji's one head in a quarrel. Feeling very bad about it, Shivji retired to Kashi (Varanasi), living as an ascetic and surviving on alms. Parvatiji, as Annapurna, followed him there so that he gets food properly. This great service of Parvatiji so impressed Shivji that out of love, he hugged Parvatiji so intensely that both fo them got merged, giving rise to form of Ardhnarishwar -half man half woman.
-Shivji is associated with the phrase, Satyam Shivam Sundaram meaning truth, supremacy and beauty. Literally, in Sanskrit-ancient language of Hindus and the oldest member of Indo-European family of languages, Shiv means good and auspicious.
-Marriage between Shivji and Sati can be called the first love marriage in this world.
After the death of his first wife Sati, Shivji was very annoyed and kept travelling all over the world with the dead body of Sati. To bring normalcy, Vishnuji used his Sudershan Chakra to cut of the body of Sati in order to disperse it. These cut of limbs fell at different places which became sacred spots, later called Shaktipiths. Shivji is understood to guard each of these spots in the form of Bhairav.
-6 of the 18 Puraans are addressed to Shivji.
-In the Mahabharata, the great Hindu epic, the legend is given of how Shivji got the third eye :
One day his beautiful consort Parvatiji (daughter of King of Mountains), stealthily went behind Shivji and playfully placed her hands over his eyes. Suddenly darkness engulfed the whole world and all beings trembled in great fear as the lord of the universe had closed his eyes suddenly a massive tongue of flame leapt from the forehead of Shivji; a third eye appeared there and this gave light to the universe. Hence Lord Shiva is also called Tri-netra, Tri-ambaka, Tri-aksha or Tri-nayana because of his three eyes.
-The cobras around his neck also represent the basic dormant energy, which is called Kundalini, the serpent power.
-The trident or Trishula of Shiva is the symbol of the three functions of the Creator, the Presever and the Destroyer. This also represents the instrument of punishment to the evil doer on all the three planes, i.e. spiritual, suble and physical.
-The ashes on his body symbolise him as a Yogi, who has burnt all his evil desires and rubbed himself with the ashes of the ritual fire.
-Shivji's bull, Nandi (the joyful) is white as snow with a huge body and soft brown eyes. The bull represents lust or the sexual impulse and Shivji is the master of lustfully controlling it by riding on its back.
-Another well know name of Shivji is RUDRA. He is considered as the roaring god, the terrible god, and the god of storm and tempest. On the one hand, if angry, he can bring disaster to man and his wealth but if pleased he can be kind and beneficent.
-The small drum of Lord Shiva is the symbol of rhythm and sound.
In many images of Shivji five faces are depicted, each looking towards each direction that is East, West, North, South and finally one looking upward. The face looking upward is called ISHANA (the ruler), and is copper-coloured. The eastern face of Shivji is called TAT-PURUSHA (the supreme man) and is yellow coloured. It represents all nature connected with earth with the sense of smell. The western face is red and is called VAMADEVA (the left hand deity), it represents ego and corresponds to the element fire. It is connected with the sense of sight. The southern face is blue or sometimes blue-black, it is called AGHORA BHAIRAVA (the frightful), it represents intellect and eternal laws and connected with the sense of hearing and the organ of speech. The northern face is called SDYOJAT (the suddenly born) and is white in color. It represents the mind and corresponds to sacrificial elixir.