Shiva is one of the most complex gods of India, embodying seemingly contradictory qualities. He is the destroyer as well as the restorer. He is the great ascetic and also the symbol of sensuality. Shiva was originally known as Rudra. He is the part of the trinity or trimurti with Vishnu and Brahma.

Shiva is responsible for change both positively and negatively. He make changes in the form of death and destruction as well as in the shedding of old habits. Shiva represents the most essential goodness in Satyam, Shivam and Sundaram which resemblances the truth, goodness and beauty. The snakes of Shiva show that he is beyond the power of death and poison and also responsible for the kundalini energy. The vehicle is white bull popularly known as Nandi.

The intangible Shiva is regarded as the supreme head in Hindu religion. Most of the Indian temples are dedicated to this powerful, yet kindhearted god. Being kind at heart he obliges its devotees and is popularly called Bhole Shankar, which means Innocent Shankar.

Some of the famous sacred temples of Shiva can be mentioned as 12 jyotirlingas, Tiruvannamalai, Chidambaram, Somnath, Vishwanath etc. Some other temples are: Lepakshi Temple in Anantapur, Thousand pillar Temple in Warangal, Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati, Sthaneshwar Mahadev Temple in Kurukshetra, Amarnath Temple in Pahalgam, Bull temple in Bangalore, Cave Temples in Badami, Omkareshwar Temple in Omkareshwar, Kailash Temple in Aurangabad, Lingaraja Temple in Bhubaneshwar, mukteswara Temple in Bhubaneshwar, Eklingji Temple in Udaipur, Mahabalipuram Temples in Mahabalipuram, Meenakshi Temple in Madurai, Rameshwaram Temples in Rameshwaram, Kedarnath Temple in Kedarnath, Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, Sri Chandeshwar Temple in Margoa, Deoghar Temple in Deoghar, Ekambareswarar Temple in Kanchipuram, Umananda Temple in Guwahati, Fourteen Goddess Temple in Agartala, etc.

Kashi Vishwanath Temple
Amarnath
Kedranath
Rameshwaram Temples
Shankracharya Temple
Lingaraja Temple
Thanjavur Temples
Mukteswara Temple
Kailash Mansarovar
Baijnath Temple
Badami Cave Temples
Kailash Temple
Lepakshi Temple
Meenakshi Temple
Ganapatipule Temple
Omkareshwar Temple
Thousand Pillar Temple
Somnath Temple
Eklingji Temple