Lord Shiva is one of the most important deities in Hindu Mythology. As a part of the ‘Trimurti’, Shiva, along with Brahma (The Creator) and Vishnu (The Preserver or Protector) has much significance. In the ‘Trimurti’, he takes on the role of ‘The Destroyer’. Lord Shiva is also known as the Mahadeva, which literally translates to ‘The Great God’ and is the highest being in the philosophy of Shaivism within the larger Hindu teaching.
As his title in the Trimurti, The Destroyer suggests, he has an intense and brutal personality at times. However, this does not mean that the God is incapable of being benign. Lord Shiva resides in a secluded region among the hills on Mount Kailash, along with his wife, Devi Parvati and two children, Ganesha and Kartikeya. The legends surrounding Lord Shiva are many and show a different side of the god each time.
Something that sets him apart from the rest of the Trimurti (Vishnu and Brahma) is his origin. While both Vishnu and Brahma’s first mentions can be found in the Vedic literature, Shiva predates the Vedas and finds his origin in the tribes. Lord Shiva, in reality, is not a single deity, hence the origins are trickier to trace. In fact, an amalgamation of the legends of the tribes and some mentions in the Vedas is what forms him as an entity.
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