Shiva likewise pairs with Parvati who later is represented through a number of Avatars ( incarnations ): Sati and the warrior figures, Durga and Kali.

This 14 < sup > th </ sup >- century statue from south India depicts the gods Shiva ( on the left ) and Parvati | Uma ( on the right ).

Any male icon portrayed in this way is Shiva although a female icon may sometimes be portrayed with these attributes as Shiva's consort, Parvati.

He is father of Ganga and Saraswati, who became rivers, and Parvati, who married Shiva

Many are dedicated to Shiva and Parvati, Vishnu and Lakshmi and Brahma and Saraswati

An illustration of the family of Shiva, consisting of Shiva, Parvati, Ganesha and Murugan

At the top of the Hindu philosophy is the formless, undefined Brahman, from whom / which come the different forms and deities, the foremost of which is the Trimurti: Brahma ( the creator ), Vishnu ( the sustainer ) and Shiva ( the destroyer ), and their individual ' Shakti ' ( commonly defined as their wives, but also goddesses in their own right ): Saraswati the goddess of learning, Lakshmi the goddess of all forms of wealth, and Parvati ( also known as Durga, Shakti, Ambika ) the goddess of courage and power.

Finally, Shiva is destroyer and re-creator, so he needs goddess Parvati, Durga, or Kali for power.

Sati / Dakshayani later incarnated as Parvati in her next life, and remarried Shiva, henceforth never to part with him again.

Parvati is Shakti, the wife of Shiva and the gentle aspect of Mahadevi, the Great Goddess.

Parvati is nominally the second consort of Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction and rejuvenation.

Parvati, when depicted alongside Shiva, generally appears with two arms, but when alone, she is shown having four or eight arms, and astride a tiger or lion.

Shiva, realizing that no man or god ( male ) can defeat Mahishasura, made a request to his wife Parvati to take the role of a female goddess warrior in order to slay the demon.

Once, Kubera looked at Shiva and his wife Parvati with jealousy, so he lost one of his eyes.

Shiva and his wife Parvati often frequent Kubera's court, which is attended by semi-divine beings like the Vidyadharas ; Kimpurushas ; Rakshasas ; Pishachas ; as well as Padma and Shankha ; personified treasures ( nidhi ); and Manibhadra, Kubera's chief attendant and chief of his army.

Some millions of years later, three of Andhaka's generals ( Duryodhana is not the Duryodhana from the Mahabharata, Vighasa and Hasti ) happened upon Shiva and Parvati in a cave, but did not recognise them.

After that time, Andhaka was purified by the Lord's touch and became a Gana ( attendant ) to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.

In a variant myth, Andhaka is raised by Shiva and Parvati, but becomes smitten with his mother and attempts to rape her, leading Shiva to tear him apart.

The seventh-century Shaiva Nayanar saint Appar mentions that after marrying Parvati, Shiva incorporated her into half of his body.

In the Kalika Purana, Parvati ( called Gauri here ) is described as having suspected Shiva of infidelity when she saw her own reflection in the crystal-like breast of Shiva.

A conjugal dispute erupted but was quickly resolved, after which Parvati wished to stay eternally with Shiva in his body.

* Nandi a bull that serves Lord Shiva in Hindu mythology.

Nandi the vehicle of Shiva, refused to let Ravana in.

To show Nandi his love for Shiva, Ravana attempted to uproot and move the mountain on a whim.

On reaching Kailash Parvat, Nandi stopped him from going inside because at that time, Shiva and Parvati were sporting fun.

One of his hands rests on Nandi ’ s left horn, Shiva ’ s mount, which is fairly well preserved.

On the external walls are sculptures like Shiva, Nandi, Lakulisha, Nataraja, etc.

At the doorway of the shukanasa are idols of Shiva ’ s guards Nandi and Virabhadra.

These statues represent Nandi, the white bull who serves as the mount of Shiva.

The bull Nandi is Shiva's primary vehicle and is the principal gana ( follower ) of Shiva.

Children play with Nandia-Bail ( Nandi the Vahan of Lord Shiva ) idols made of clay and fitted with clay wheels.

* Nandi Mandapam ( or Nandi mandir )-In the Shiva temples, pavilion with a statue of the sacred bull Nandi, looking at the statue or the lingam of Shiva.

The earliest text of the Kama Shastra tradition, said to have contained a vast amount of information, is attributed to Nandi the sacred bull, Shiva's doorkeeper, who was moved to sacred utterance by overhearing the lovemaking of the god Shiva and his wife Parvati.

Most of Vima's coins feature the Buddhist symbol of the Triratana on the reverse ( or possibly Shiva's symbol for Nandi, the Nandipada ), together with representations of Shiva, with or without his bull.

Rev: ΟΗϷΟ ( oesho ), a conflation of Zoroastrian Vata-Vayu | Vayu and Hindu Shiva, holding a trisula scepter, with the bull Nandi ( bull ) | Nandi.

One can also see the world's largest Nandi ( stone sculpture of the bull which Lord Shiva rides and the gate keeper of the Shiva ) Lepakshi is 14 km from Hindupur

In ancient Hindu sculpture, painting, and mythology, the mridangam is often depicted as the instrument of choice for a number of deities including Ganesha ( the remover of obstacles ) and Nandi, who is the vehicle and companion of Lord Shiva.

As per Hindu mythology Lord Shiva uses Nandi for traveling.

Most temples at Angkor are dedicated to Shiva.

Most Hindus believe that Shiva will destroy the world at the end of the kalpa.

* Mid-6th century – Cave-Temple of Shiva at Elephanta Caves, Maharashtra, India, is built.

* Mid-6th century – Eternal Shiva, rock-cut relief in the Cave-Temple of Shiva at Elephanta Caves, is made

This can be seen in the famous Chennakesava Temple at Belur dedicated to Vishnu and in the Hoysaleswara temple at Halebidu dedicated to Shiva.

The form is present in most Shiva temples in South India, and is the main deity in the famous temple at Chidambaram.

The trajectory of the dancing Shiva is traced: from the processional worship of metal icons outside the sanctum to the cultic elevation of the Nataraja bronze into the sanctum at Chidambaram.

The image of the Lord as the Cosmic Dancer is shown at the Chidambaram temple, an unusual fact as Shiva is depicted in an anthropomorphic form rather than in the usual non-anthropomorphic form of the linga.

In 2004, a 2m statue of the dancing Shiva was unveiled at CERN, the European Center for Research in Particle Physics in Geneva.

Before the birth of Narendra, she yearned for a son and asked a relative at Varanasi to make religious offerings to the god Shiva.

Also, Sangameshwar Shiva Temple at Haripur and Ramling Temple are located on the banks of river Krishna near Sangli.

A Shiva lingam worshipped at Jambukesvara temple in Thiruvanaikaval ( Thiruaanaikaa )

In the area of IPRs ( Intellectual Property Rights ) and Biodiversity, Dr. Shiva and her team at the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology successfully challenged the biopiracy of Neem, Basmati and Wheat.

Vandana Shiva is working on a 3 year project with the Government of Bhutan, at the invitation of the Prime Minister Jigme Thinley, advising the government on how to achieve their objective of becoming an organic sovereign country ( the first fully 100 % organic country ).

Ron Terpening, a professor of Italian literature at the University of Arizona, cites Franz de Ruyt, who claims Charun is similar to Chaldean demons or the Hindu divinities Shiva and Kali.

Consciously excluding Sati from the list, he also set up a statue of Shiva, which he defiled and mocked, at the entrance to his hall.

However, on seeing the shameless insult to her husband in his absence, and the repeated slights King Daksha and his courtiers railed at Shiva, she committed suicide in grief for her beloved.

Daksha then went on to insult Shiva ; and as Sati's rage at the disrespect toward Shiva peaked, she declared to her father, " I will tolerate no more of your filth " and she released the inner consuming fire, and fell dead at Daksha's feet.

Then Shiva came to know about this incident and became furious at the non-righteous yagna.