Lord Shiva is one of the three gods that comprise the divine Trinity in the Hindu pantheon. He is the god of destruction, the necessary precursor of regeneration. Consequently, the attributes of this god are fierce. His body is smeared with ashes from cremation grounds where his followers, the Ganas, reside. His long hair, coiled on the top of his head, is adorned with the crescent of the moon. The sacred river Ganga flows out of his hair. A serpent encircles his neck and he wears a tiger skin around his waist. The trident is his weapon and the sacred bull Nandi is his vehicle. When he opens his third eye, located on his forehead, the world will be destroyed.
The benevolent god: The god is an ascetic and is always engrossed in meditation. This lord of destruction also has a benevolent side to his personality. He readily grants boons to the devotees with whom he is pleased. In fact, he is so quick to grant boons that he has earned the epithet of ' Bhole Shankar' (naïve god).
God of arts: Shiva is also the god of all arts and is worshipped in the form of Nataraj. Legend has it that when dancing together, he even surpasses the grace of goddess Parvati. The dance that he performs before destroying the world is called Tandav nritya .
Mahadev: The present form of Lord Shiva is believed to be an amalgamation of Rudra and Pashupati. Rudra was an atmospheric deity during the Vedic period and Pashupati is believed to have been worshipped by the people of the Indus Valley civilisation. Lord Shiva is known by many names like Shankar, Mahesh, Bholenath, Neelakanth, Shambhu, Kailasheshwar, Umanath, Nataraj and others.
Shivalingam: Unlike other Hindu deities, the temples of Shiva do not host his idols. He is worshipped in the form of a lingam, which according to some, is a remnant of the ancient practice of phallic worship. Shiva lives on Mount Kailash in the Himalayas. Goddess Parvati, daughter of the Himalaya, is his consort. Lord Ganesh and Kartikeya are his two sons. Jyotirlinga: Shiva is believed to reside in 12 sacred places in India, which are called jyotirlingas. All these jyotilingas are ' swayambhu' (those that have appeared on their own). According to the Hindu belief, a pilgrimage of these 12 jyotirlinga s absolve the devotees of all their sins. These jyotirlinga s are:
1. Somnath in Kathiawar
2. Shri-Shailya-Mallikarjun in the South
3. Mahakaleshwar in Ujjain
4. Omkarnath on the banks of river Jamuna
5. Parali-Vaijanath in Marathwada
6. Bhimashanker on the banks of Bhima river
7. Rameshwar in the South
8. Naganath in Marathwada
9. Ghrushneshwar at Daulatabad
10. Kashi-Vishveshwar in Benares
11. Kedarnath in Uttar Pradesh
12. Trayambakeshwar in Nasik