Shiva

Storytelling: the mythological art of Hinduism in aspects of transmitting and performing devotion Storytelling, as expressed by Johari is a human activity which is “as old as the humanity itself. (P.1)” While mythologies, being the collections of explanatory stories that serves to anchor people’s understanding on both the natural and cultural, tangible and intangible world are shared universally. Hinduism, particularly favors the heavy use of mythological stories as a vehicle that can transmit…

awe-inducing god, lies a rainbow of food and gifts. Images of yellow, green, red, blue, and purple, plants, animals and gods are splashed and slapped on the walls, red lentil paste splattered over top of them in thick layers. The largest painting is of Shiva and Parvati together, both holding their palms out while standing on a giant pink-tipped lotus, a small ganesh lies at their feet. While many of the classic religious pieces are sacred, they are not considered to be so holy that they cannot…

A single, all-knowing entity is central to the religion that I had grown up with. A god named God a figure of perfection who cradles the world. Watching over the people of Earth and holding control of what goes on with no-one sitting at his level sharing such an amazing power of creation. God made it all and holds so much faith from the people and for the people, but no matter what anyone says, I cannot bear the thought of giving all of my faith to someone or something so inhumanely “pure”.…

The object is made of copper, 27 inches high, and 22 inches in diameter, and it is dated to 11th century and belongs to Chola period. It has very smooth surface and decorated with carvings. The artwork depicts god Shiva who is known to be intricate, multidimensional deity. At first glance, he carries quite opposite characteristics. On one side he symbolizes ultimate asceticism, he is a master yogi, who overcomes himself and now possess an incredible wisdom. His zealous…

worship and pray to many other gods and goddesses who are manifestations of Brahman. There are three principal gods: Brahma “The Creator”, Shiva “The Destroyer”, and Vishnu “The Preserver”. Brahma is the creator of the world. There are only a handful of temples devoted to Brahma because they (he/she?) had little impact on the world after it’s creation. Shiva…

parts of India. In North India, there is the legend of an eternal demon named Mahishasura who randomly started to kill people in order to win the three lokas (realms). Some of the gods approached the god Shiva and asked for a way to get rid of Mahishasura because of the chaos he produced. Shiva united with two of the other gods, Brahma and Vishnu, to create a female warrior and goddess named Durga. Mahishasura saw the goddess and fell in love. He originally asked Durga for her hand in marriage,…

Vishnu, Shiva, the Highest Gods of Hinduism). Shiva is known as the destroyer, insofar as he destroys all evil. Without his destruction, there is no creation. “In other words follow Lord Shiva if you want to achieve self-realization through a path of constructive destruction and radical transformation of your personality. The worship of Shiva is ideal for those who are willing to follow the path of renunciation or lead radical lives through courageous decisions” (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, the…

Colonialism. Over the course of history, many ancient empires set up colonies in foreign lands, encountered the indigenous people, and often times, established a trading network between themselves; the settlers are entitled to the land’s natural resources, and the natives are allowed access to superior technology. However, such relationships between colonists and the indigenous populace did not always yield positive results. The ancient Chinese became addicted to opium marketed by the British,…

symbolized the unbounded. The unbounded is known to be the connection with the first Hindu god, Brahma, in the triumvirate. The Hindu Triumvirate consists of the three Hindu gods. It consists of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Brahma is the god of creation, Vishnu is the god of protection and Shiva is the god of destruction and renewal. The connection to the unbound is very important in Hindu temple architecture so later on when temples became freestanding with thick temple walls, the architecture…

One of the classical depictions of the Hindu God Shiva shows his dancing. Nataraja is considered to be the ultimate depiction of the dance, Nataraja meaning “Lord of the Dance”. Here we see Shiva with his left leg on top of his right, and his hands holding fire and a drum. His other set of appendages are in a very distinct form. Fire encircles him in a ring while he stands on a man. This is commonly attributed to overcoming darkness/negativity and ignorance. This beautiful illustration of…