Shiva

How to recognise Shiva

1. Ring of fire (prabha mandala)A ring of flames rises from the lotus base and encloses the dancer, standing for the universe and the never-ending cycle of time.
2. Damaru drumThe upper right hand holds a small hourglass drum, whose beat is said to have made the first sounds of creation.
3. Flame (agni)The upper left hand holds fire, the flame that will dissolve the universe.
4. Abhaya mudraThe lower right hand is raised with the palm facing the viewer, the gesture that allays fear.
5. Raised footThe lower left arm sweeps across the body toward the lifted left foot, which signifies refuge for the troubled soul.
6. ApasmaraBeneath the planted right foot lies the small figure of Apasmara (Muyalaka), who stands for illusion and ignorance and often looks up calmly.
7. Matted locks and crescent moonLong side locks fly outward with the energy of the dance, while the crowning headdress carries a crescent moon, a datura flower, a small skull and a cobra, with the river goddess Ganga entwined in the hair.

Names and titles

• Lord of the DanceNataraja, from nata (dance) and raja (lord): Shiva as the cosmic dancer
• The Auspicious OneShiva means 'the auspicious one'
• Mahadeva, the Great GodA name of Shiva meaning 'the great god'
• Dancer in the Ring of FireThe flaming halo that surrounds the dance stands for the universe and the cycle of time
• The Blue-Throated LordIn the legend he drank the poison of the churning of the ocean, which turned his neck blue, and so saved the world

Feast days

• Karthigai Deepam24 November 2026

  Karthigai Deepam is the Tamil festival of lamps, held when the moon is in the Krittika star in the month of Karthigai. At Tiruvannamalai, devotees honour Shiva's appearance as a pillar of fire.

  How it's celebrated. The festival ends a ten-day Brahmotsavam at Arunachaleswarar Temple. Before dawn the Bharani Deepam is lit in the sanctum. At dusk the Maha Deepam is lit in a ghee cauldron on the summit, and pilgrims often walk around the hill (girivalam). Homes light rows of clay lamps. Feast 4 is this same festival in 2027.

  Sources: Arunachalesvara Temple (Wikipedia) · Karthigai Deepam Tiruvannamalai: Maha Deepam Guide · Utsav (Govt. of India): Karthigai Deepam at Tiruvannamalai

• Arudra Darshan24 December 2026

  Arudra Darshan, or Thiruvathirai, is kept when the Arudra (Thiruvathirai) star rises in the Tamil month of Margazhi. Devotees celebrate Shiva as Nataraja performing the Ananda Tandava, the dance of bliss.

  How it's celebrated. At the Nataraja Temple in Chidambaram, a ten-day festival builds to a pre-dawn abhishekam for Nataraja and Sivakamasundari, a procession of five deities, and the darshan of the dance. Shiva temples across Tamil Nadu recite Manikkavasakar's Tiruvempavai hymns, and devotees offer a sweet dish called Thiruvathirai Kali. In Kerala, Thiruvathira is kept in the month of Makaram, with the circular Thiruvathira Kali dance.

  Sources: Thiruvathira (Wikipedia) · Arudra Darisanam: Significance of Arudra Darshan (Pillai Center)

• Maha Shivaratri6 March 2027

  Maha Shivaratri, the "Great Night of Shiva", is the foremost of the twelve monthly Shivaratris. Shaiva Hindus keep it as a night of vigil, marking the overcoming of darkness and ignorance through Shiva.

  How it's celebrated. Devotees fast, bathe the linga with milk, honey or water, and keep an all-night vigil of hymns and mantras. Temples divide the night into four watches, each with its own worship. The fast is often broken next morning with food offered to Shiva. North Indian calendars name the month Phalguna and South Indian ones Magha, but the night is the same.

  Sources: Maha Shivaratri (Wikipedia) · Read the Spirit: Maha Shivaratri · Shivaratri Rituals (mahashivratri.org)

• Karthigai Deepam 202712 December 2027 (date to be confirmed)

  Karthigai Deepam is the Tamil festival of lamps, climaxing at Tiruvannamalai in the Maha Deepam, which devotees see as honouring Shiva's appearance as a column of fire. This is the 2027 observance of feast 1.

  How it's celebrated. The pattern is the same as feast 1: a ten-day Brahmotsavam, the Bharani Deepam in the sanctum before dawn, and the Maha Deepam on Arunachala at dusk. Published calendars differ by a day for 2027, so check the Arunachaleswarar Temple's own announcement. Homes across Tamil Nadu light clay lamps.

  Sources: Karthigai Deepam Tiruvannamalai: Maha Deepam Guide · Drik Panchang: 2027 Karthigai Nakshatra Days · Karthika Deepam (Wikipedia)