Lord Shiva
Probably the most known names in the Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva is known as the destroyer god of the Hindus.The name Shiva means auspicious. He is a yogi and on the Kailash mountain. He is the god of life and hence he notices each and every happening in and around the world. The people who follow or worship Lord Shiva are known as the shivaites and the tradition of following the Lord Shiva is known as shaivism.
There are about one thousand and eight names of Lord Shiva among which the ones most used or heard are Har Har Mahadev, Bholenaath, Devadev, Jaigadish, Jatin, Kailash, Kailashpati Lingraj, Lokpal, Mahabuddhi, Mahayogi, Omkara. In some regions he is also worshipped in the Ayyappa. The form in which Lord Shiva is worshipped among the Hindus is the ShivaLinga. Lord Shiva is known as ahandsome god and is always found in deep meditation. Apart from this he is also found doing Tandav which is a form of a dance when he is insulted by someone. This god is supposed to have all the qualities of a human which is why he looks like a youth who is eternal. It is because he has gained the power or the authority over death, immortality and rebirth or reawakening.
Like all the gods even Lord Shiv Shankar has certain attributes which are different from all the other gods. Mahadeva has a trident in his lower arm along with a crescent moon on his head. The river Ganga flows from his jata or his head. His complexion is like ice or snow. His weapon is damru, mala and fire. When you look at the picture of Devadev then one can see that his feet are on the devil Muyakala. It is said that lord Shiva became a lord after prolonged mediation. He always faces the south direction when he is meditating or otherwise also. He wears a garland of skulls which is very different from other lords. Apart from these facts, one of the most different things about LordShiva is that he is a hermaphrodite. He has both the reproductive organs of male and female. His entire body
Lord Shiva has a third eye which is opened only when he is insulted by someone. On reading the history of Lord Shiva, one can find that his third eye was opened when his first wife or consort Sati died. Lord Shiva’s body has ashes smeared all over his body. His throat is blue in colour as he had drunk the entire poison that had come out of the ocean. It is because of his blue throat that he is also called Neelkanth.
Lord Shiva had very good looks and had about five consorts namely Sati, Parvati, Kali, Durga and Chandi. Mahadev also has several incarnations like some other gods. Virabhadra, Bhairava, Veer Teja, Sharabha, Adi Shankara are some of his avatars, it is also said that Hanuman was his eleventh avatar. Some people also believe that SwamiVivekananda is also an avatar of Lord Shiva. Still there is no such valid proof for it.
Among the followers of Lord Shiva, the month of Maagh is also of alot of importance. According to the Hindu calendar, this month is completely dedicated to Lord Shiva. The whole month people are surrounded by this festival’s effect. This month is also known as Sawan and on the day of Mahashivaratri, it is believed that he married Parvati.
Among all the temples around the country, there are twelve Jyoritlings in the country which are of utter importance. Even in south India, there are five main temples that signify the five elemental substances of which Lord Shiva is made of.
You can download beautiful Lord Shiva Wallpaper here for desktop background.