Shiva carvings

Shiva's symbolism is highly complex due to the many traditions that have venerated him throughout the centuries. Shiva is the god of destruction, illusion, and ignorance. He represents destruction, but this destruction serves to create a new world: Shiva transforms and guides manifestation through the "stream of forms."

Shiva's emblem is the lingam, a symbol of creation. His eyes are half-closed, as he opens them at the creation of the world and closes them to end the universe and begin a new cycle. He is depicted with a third eye in the middle of his forehead, a symbol of eternity and wisdom, and with a cobra around his neck, a symbol of power. Shiva, in effect, represents the dormant creative source. Over his hair flows the Ganges, the sacred river of Hinduism, to protect the Earth.