The panchavimshatimurti () is the representation of twenty-five forms of
Shiva
Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...
in
Hindu iconography
Over the millennia of its development, Hinduism has adopted several iconography, iconic symbols, forming part of Hindu iconography, that are imbued with spiritual meaning based on either the Hindu scriptures, scriptures or cultural traditions ...
.
These forms are described in the
Shaiva Agamas of the southern
Shaiva Siddhanta
Shaiva Siddhanta () is a form of Shaivism popular in a pristine form in Tamilnadu and Sri Lanka and in a Tantrayana syncretised form in Vietnam and Indonesia (as Siwa Siddhanta). It propounds a devotional philosophy with the ultimate goal of e ...
sect of
Shaivism
Shaivism (, , ) is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Para Brahman, supreme being. It is the Hinduism#Demographics, second-largest Hindu sect after Vaishnavism, constituting about 385 million H ...
. The
Sritattvanidhi
The ''Sritattvanidhi'' (, "The Illustrious Treasure of Realities") is a treatise written in the 19th century in the Mysore Palace, Karnataka on the iconography and iconometry of divine figures in South India. One of its sections includes instru ...
calls these the panchavimshatililamurti (twenty-five sportive forms). These forms are based on the
and the
Itihasa
In Hinduism, Itihasa-Purana, also called the fifth Veda, refers to the traditional accounts of cosmogeny, myths, royal genealogies of the lunar dynasty and solar dynasty, and legendary past events, as narrated in the ''Itihasa'' (Mahabhara ...
s, in which the theme of Shiva's divine play is explained with numerous narratives. Most of these forms are featured in South Indian temples as the
main images of the
sanctum or sculptures and reliefs in the outer walls of Shiva temples.
Description
The Agama texts describe twenty-five forms of Shiva, offering specifications in which the deity is to be represented. For each form, the attire, ornaments, posture, weapons, as well as the other accessories associated with the form are described, along with associated deities and objects.
Iconography
The common list of the Panchavimshatimurti is given below:
See also
*
Chaturvimshatimurti, the twenty-four forms of
Vishnu
Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...
*
Nataraja
Nataraja (/ n̪əʈəɾɑd͡ʒᵊ/ ,, ; , ''Naṭarājar'' Telugu: నటరాజు,''Naṭarāju''), also known as Adalvallan (), is a depiction of Shiva, one of the main deities in Hinduism, as the divine cosmic dancer. His dance is ca ...
, form of Shiva
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Panchavimshatimurti
*
Hindu iconography
Hindu art