Shiva (; Sanskrit: शिव, romanized: Śiva, lit
‘The Auspicious One’ [ɕɪʋɐ]), also known as Mahadeva (; Sanskrit: महादेव:, romanized: Mahādevaḥ, lit
‘The Great God’ [mɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ]), is one of the principal deities of Hinduism
Lord Shiva is said to be the deity of death and time
In Sanskrit language, kālá means time
He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hinduism
Shiva has pre-Vedic tribal roots, and the figure of Shiva as we know him today is an amalgamation of various older non-Vedic and Vedic deities, including the Rigvedic storm god Rudra who may also have non-Vedic origins, into a single major deity
Shiva is known as “The Destroyer” within the Trimurti, the triple deity of supreme divinity that includes Brahma and Vishnu
In the Shaivite tradition, Shiva is the Supreme Lord who creates, protects and transforms the universe
In the Shakta tradition, the Goddess, or Devi, is described as one of the supreme, yet Shiva is revered along with Vishnu and Brahma
A goddess is stated to be the energy and creative power (Shakti) of each, with Parvati (Sati) the equal complementary partner of Shiva
He is one of the five equivalent deities in Panchayatana puja of the Smarta tradition of Hinduism
Shiva is the primal Atman (Self) of the universe
There are many both benevolent and fearsome depictions of Shiva
In benevolent aspects, he is depicted as an omniscient Yogi who lives an ascetic life on Mount Kailash as well as a householder with wife Parvati and his two children, Ganesha and Kartikeya
In his fierce aspects, he is often depicted slaying demons
Shiva is also known as Adiyogi Shiva, regarded as the patron god of yoga, meditation and arts
The iconographical attributes of Shiva are the serpent around his neck, the adorning crescent moon, the holy river Ganga flowing from his matted hair, the third eye on his forehead (the eye that turns everything in front of it into ashes when opened), the trishula or trident, as his weapon, and the damaru drum
He is usually worshipped in the aniconic form of lingam
Shiva is a pan-Hindu deity, revered widely by Hindus in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Indonesia (especially in Java and Bali)