Siva (redirected from Sivaite)

Siva: see Shiva.

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Shiva

 or Siva

Shiva, bronze statue, Madras, c. AD 900.

(credit: Courtesy of the Government Museum, Chennai; photograph, Royal Academy of Arts, London)

Major deity of Hinduism, believed to have many manifestations. Like Vishnu, he is the subject of an elaborate and sometimes contradictory mythology. He is both the destroyer and the restorer, the great ascetic and the symbol of sensuality, the benevolent herdsman of souls and the wrathful avenger. His female consort is known under various manifestations, including Parvati, Durga, and Kali. In Shaivism he is worshiped as the paramount lord.

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Siva, Shiva

Hinduism the destroyer, one of the three chief divinities of the later Hindu pantheon, the other two being Brahma and Vishnu. Siva is also the god presiding over personal destinies

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Siva 

a river in the Udmurt ASSR and Perm’ Oblast, RSFSR, a right tributary of the Kama. The Siva is 206 km long and drains an area of 4,870 sq km. It flows primarily in a wide, forested valley. The river is fed mainly by snow. The Siva has a mean flow rate of 32.2 cu m per sec. It freezes in late October, and the ice breaks up in April. The city of Votkinsk is located on a right tributary of the Siva, the Votka River.

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Siva 

(also Shiva), one of the principal gods in Hinduism and the principal god in Sivaism. The worship of Siva is based on ancient Indian tribal fertility cults. Along with a number of other great gods of Hinduism, Siva personifies the destructive powers of nature. However, he is not only a punisher of sins but also a be-stower of blessings and a defender, not only a destroyer but also a creator. The creative nature of Siva is symbolized by images of the male genitalia—the lingam, or phallus. In iconography, Siva is portrayed as an ascetic immersed in contemplation, or as a figure in a frightening pose, or as a figure performing a sacred dance.