I am sitting in front of five Shiva shrines which might have been a place of utter importance a thousand years ago. Shiva is an interesting concept in Hindu metaphysics. It is a concept in the sense that it is the energy that keeps our body active. It is not the life itself, but the fire of life. Everybody is given a life but they live their life as blessed by Shiva. Shiva is a destroyer. Slight mis-step in life has huge repercussions, noble conduct produces bliss. Shiva defines what a noble conduct is. Ritualistically Shiva is pure, not only in body but also in mind. Possibly a teacher existed by the name of Shiva, who had the doctrine that human beings can achieve celestial heights by being pure in body and mind. He was possibly the first teacher of the mankind, who taught that we can domesticate animals than kill them. He invented language and could talk to animals and birds at ease. He was so obsessed with purity that he walked naked. He had no shame! He was a great friend to anyone who sought him. Shiva taught meditation and mind concentration. He would sit long days. Snakes might play on his body. He said that a pure body can burn any poison and he could handle all ills. He was a healer. He knew herbs and medicines. Sometimes herbs would intoxicate him and he loved it. Shiva was married and he had a household. For good reason he made his habitation away from the society. He lived in the mountains! Shiva's pure body never decayed and he proved that a human being can overcome death by being pure. He developed mantra chants for quick remedy. His mantras are continuing to be used today. People in sickness and confronted with uphill battles, remember Shiva. Later it was theorized that Shiva indeed is Ishvara that lives in each being. Ishvara can reveal itself once we shed our outer pretension.
Looking for Shiva, people started worshiping hills and rocks, calling them as "linga". "Linga" in Sanskrit means a symbol, a rock became a symbol for Shiva. Since Shiva is pure, people looked for well polished rocks and a nomenclature called "Shivalinga" developed. Since Shiva never died, people did think that he was the original "father" of all living beings. Popularly he would be called "baba" like a child would call his/her father!
While sometimes confused as mythology, it is as good a description of human conduct as any other theory. Since Shiva can be worshiped as a polished stone, Shiva temples proliferated everywhere in India. One needs Shiva for strength, health, longevity, skills, knowledge, talents, relationship, family and children. We need to conduct our life peacefully and without pain. Shiva is the mentor and he is the teacher. Hence the most powerful phrase is Sanskrit is called "namo shivaaya;" "I bow down to Shiva."
The five shrines I saw could have been for five different aspects of Shiva. I entered the shrines and I saw beautiful carvings on the walls. Each shrine was possibly a ten foot square room with a shivalinga in the center of the room. The Shivalinga stones have been taken away from the site possibly for safekeeping. Sometimes thieves steal them and sell to interested buyers. Museums in the west procure these items in order to claim possession and access to potential revenue through display. Lately, we do not have new ideas nor do we create new objects, we market old products under custom lighting!
I have visited many shivalinga shrines in India. The temple town of Bhubaneswar has shrines dedicated to various attributes of Shiva. They exist in the hills, along the rivers and high up in the Himalayas. In later mythology, the shivalinga is replaced by a dancing Shiva with fire emanating from his head. Shiva doctrine enunciates that "desire" and "anger" destroy a person. When Siva is angry, the whole universe is destroyed! We have to keep him "cool." It is a practice to continuously drip cold water on Shiva's head to keep him cool. The practice is followed to the shivalinga also. Shiva's needs are not much, but he knows your mind!
I was not sure if the walls were recreated, but there was no roof. On the walls I saw sketches of Hindu celestial figures possibly to give the place a transcendental feel. Shivalinga is purely physical creation with physical ideas associated with it. Incorporation of Shiva to the heaven did happen when the vedic ideas began to circulate and the vedic scholars had to include the local beliefs into their metaphysics. Brahma and Vishnu existed, Shiva entered the Vedic pantheon as Rudra. It was an afterthought. Ganesha, the other terrestrial symbol, entered as Shiva's son.
The last two shrines had brick facade on the walls giving an impression of later construction. The figures also looked more recent than the stone carvings.
