Lord Shiva is one of the most important Hindu gods. He is a part of the Hindu trinity. There are many interesting facts about Lord Shiva that many people are unaware of.

Interesting Facts about Lord Shiva:

1. Number 3 is the favorite number of Lord Shiva.

Although it is not mentioned anywhere officially, number 3 seems to be his favorite number because of the following reasons:

A. Three eyes.

B. His main weapon Trishula has three points.

C. He wears a Tilaka called Tripundra on his forehead, which is three horizontal lines.

D. Bael leaf is dear to him, which is three-pronged.

E. He is the third in Trinity; Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.

F. Om is generally associated with him, which looks like the number 3.

G. Devotees take three Pradakshina around him in the temple.

2. Lord Shiva is the only god worshipped in the form of a lingam.

Lord Shiva is generally worshipped in the form of a Shiva lingam, which is his aniconic form. A lingam is Hiranyagarbha (a golden egg) from which the whole universe originated. Lord Vishnu is also sometimes worshipped in the form of a lingam, which is a Shaligram stone but he is mainly worshipped in his original form or in the form of his incarnations.

3. Lord Shiva is the first yogi.

Lord Shiva is also known as Adiyogi because he was the first one to practice yoga and penance. He is the progenitor of yoga. He imparted the knowledge of yoga to humans.

4. He is the king of dance.

Nataraja is the dancing form of Lord Shiva. He is the greatest dancer of all. Indian classical dancers worship him before every dance practice and/or a dance program.

5. Lord Shiva is the only Hindu god with a visible third eye.

Lord Shiva has a vertical third eye in the mid of his forehead. Hence, he is also called Trinetra. It is generally closed, but he opens it when he is angry. It emits fire and burns whatever comes in its way.

6. He is the most powerful Hindu god.

Although Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva are considered equally powerful, in practice Lord Shiva is considered the most powerful Hindu god. He is also known as Mahadeva (the god of gods). He drank Halahala poison that came out of Samudra Manthan and saved the world. The Kashi Vishweshwara Temple, which is considered the most sacred temple of Hindus is dedicated to him.

8. He is very popular among Asuras also.

If you read the stories in the Hindu religious texts, you would find that many Asuras were devotees of Lord Shiva. Some of them did penance for thousands of years and got boons from him. This is mainly because he is easy to propitiate among all gods. Also, he treats both the gods and Asuras equally, while Lord Vishnu sometimes favors gods.

9. Om is generally associated with him.

Actually, Om is a symbol of Brahman, the Supreme God, but among all the Hindu gods, it is generally associated with Lord Shiva. Shaivites consider Lord Shiva as Brahman Himself.

10. Tulsi is prohibited from his worship.

Although Tulsi is a sacred plant for Hindus, Tulsi leaves are not allowed to use in Lord Shiva’s worship. Other than Tulsi leaves, turmeric, Kumkum, coconut water, Ketaki flower, Champa flower, bronze pot, broken rice, infected bael leaves, and conch are prohibited from the worship of Lord Shiva.

11. Kashi is the favorite city of Lord Shiva.

Kashi or Varanasi is the most sacred place for Hindus. Per some Hindu religious texts, if someone dies here, he/she attains salvation. Hindus believe that Kashi would not be destroyed even during the Pralaya.

12. Lord Shiva is the easiest among all gods to please.

Lord Shiva is very kind to his devotees and is propitiated easily. Therefore, he is called Ashutosh.

13. There are some strange similarities between Lord Shiva and black holes.

Per the Hindu texts, at the end of time, Lord Shiva destroys this whole universe. Hence, he is known as a destroyer. It seems the functionality of a black hole is controlled by Lord Shiva. That is why he is called the destroyer.

Similarities between the Symbols Associated with Lord Shiva and a Black Hole:

1. Ganga – in Sanskrit, a galaxy is called Akasha Ganga.

2. Moon – as the Moon waxes and wanes, the universe also takes birth and dies.

3. Third eye – the center of a black hole.

4. Fire from the third eye – the beam of energy emitted by a black hole (Hawking radiation).

5. Snake – represents the wrap of space-time around a black hole.

6. Trident and Damaru – together represent creative and destructive power.

7. Nandi – constellation Taurus (bull).

8. Water/milk falling over Shiva lingam – represents the consumption of matter by a black hole.

You may also like to read: Similarities Between Lord Shiva and a Black Hole

14.  Lord Shiva has five heads.

Although he is depicted as having a single head mostly, he has five heads. Therefore, he is called Panchanana. These five faces are named Ishana, Tatpurusha, Aghora, Vamdeva, and Sadyojatha.

15. Lord Shiva is not mentioned in the Vedas.

Although Lord Shiva is not mentioned in the Vedas directly, the word Shiva is used as an epithet for Rudra. There are many similarities between Rudra and Shiva. Rudra is also one of the names of Lord Shiva.

16. Ashwatthama is a partial incarnation of Lord Shiva.

Ashwatthama is one of the finest warriors from the Mahabharata, but he fought from the side of Kauravas and did some atrocious acts. Therefore, he is considered a villainous character and was punished by Lord Krishna to be immortal with a non-healing wound. He was born of the united portions of Mahadeva, Yama, Kama, and Krodha.

17. Lord Shiva is the only god whose statue was placed at the CERN campus in Geneva, Switzerland.

In 2004, a 2-meter statue of Nataraja was unveiled at the CERN facility in Geneva. The reason given by CERN officials for this statue to be there was that it was a gift from India to celebrate its association with CERN, and the Nataraja dance is a metaphor that was drawn between the cosmic dance of the Nataraja and the modern study of the ‘cosmic dance’ of subatomic particles.

18. Lord Shiva has 13 Children.

The names of the daughters of Lord Shiva are Ashokasundari, Mansa Devi, Jyoti, Jaya, Vishhara, Shamliwari, Dotali, and Dev. The names of the sons of Lord Shiva are Kartikeya, Ganesha, Ayyappa, Andhaka, and Jalandhara.

If you know more interesting facts about Lord Shiva, please mention those in the comment section.

Reference:

Free Book – What Exactly Is A Shiva Lingam by Rahul Dudhane