Shaivism is the tradition that worships Shiva as the supreme deity, and with Vaishnavism and Shaktism it is counted among the main forms of Hinduism today. It has no single founder: its roots are in the Rudra of the Vedas and in the Shvetashvatara Upanishad, and it has many schools, such as the Pashupata, Shaiva Siddhanta, Kashmir Shaivism and the Lingayats (Virashaivas). The lingam is the centre of its worship, and three horizontal lines of ash (tripundra) are its familiar mark.
- Chief deity
- Shiva (Rudra, Mahadeva)
- Founder
- No single founder
- Main teachers and saints
- Lakulisha (Pashupata), the Tamil Nayanar saints, Vasugupta and Abhinavagupta (Kashmir Shaivism), Meykandadeva (Shaiva Siddhanta), Basava (Lingayat)
- Philosophy
- Many views, from the dualism of Shaiva Siddhanta (pati, pashu, pasha) to the monism of Kashmir Shaivism
- Main texts
- The hymns to Rudra in the Vedas, the Shvetashvatara Upanishad, the Shaiva Agamas, the Shiva Purana, the Tamil Tirumurai, the Shiva Sutra, the Vachanas of Basava
- Main centres
- The 12 Jyotirlingas and Shiva temples across the land; Mount Kailash is held to be Shiva’s abode
- Tilak
- Three horizontal lines of ash (tripundra), with or without a red dot
- Main mantra
- Om Namah Shivaya
- Main festivals
- Maha Shivratri, the month of Shravana, Mondays
What Shaivism is
Shaivism is the organised worship of Shiva. It includes lay devotees, who visit temples, offer puja and may mark their foreheads with three lines of ash, and many orders of renunciants with their own disciplines. In temples and homes alike, the lingam is the central object of worship.
According to Britannica it takes in deeply philosophical schools such as Shaiva Siddhanta, socially distinct groups such as the Lingayats, the Dashanami renunciants and countless folk forms.
History in brief
The Rigveda has hymns to Rudra; later “Shiva”, the auspicious one, became his name. In the Shvetashvatara Upanishad (c. 400 BCE according to Britannica) Shiva is the one eternal Lord: “eko hi rudro na dvitiyaya tasthuh”, Rudra is one, there is no second (3.2). Shiva is also an important god in the Mahabharata and the Ramayana.
Organised sectarian Shaivism arose with the Pashupatas, whose beginnings some historians place in the 2nd century BCE and others in the 2nd century CE. After that, Shiva’s temples, festivals, monasteries and places of pilgrimage spread across India. In the South the hymns of the Tamil Shaiva saints (the Nayanars) of the 5th to 9th centuries were gathered as the Tirumurai; in Kashmir, Kashmir Shaivism begins with the Shiva Sutra of about 850 CE; and in the 12th century the Lingayat tradition spread in South India with the Vachanas of Basava. Shaivism also reached Java, Bali and Cambodia.
Beliefs and practice
Shaiva Siddhanta holds three realities: pati (the Lord, Shiva), pashu (the soul) and pasha (the bonds that tie the soul to worldly existence: ignorance, karma and maya). The soul’s goal is to be freed from these bonds and gain “shivatva”, the nature of Shiva, and four paths lead there: charya (service and good conduct), kriya (structured worship), yoga and jnana (knowledge).
Kashmir Shaivism (Trika), by contrast, is monistic: Shiva is the sole reality and both the material and the efficient cause of the world. It recognises three principles, Shiva, Shakti and the soul, and holds that liberation comes through “recognition” (pratyabhijna) that the supreme reality and the soul are one.
The lingam is the centre of worship. The dance of Shiva as Nataraja, Shaivas say, portrays five acts: creation, preservation, destruction, the concealing of his true form, and the grace by which he frees his devotees.
Main schools
Pashupata: perhaps the earliest sect to worship Shiva as supreme, mentioned in the Mahabharata. Its followers held a teacher named Lakulisha (Lakulin) to be an incarnation of Shiva; inscriptions of the 10th and 13th centuries name him. Its sub-sects flourished in Gujarat and Rajasthan until at least the 12th century.
Shaiva Siddhanta: the philosophy of South India, drawing mainly on the Tirumurai hymns of the Nayanars; Meykandadeva in the 13th century was its first systematic philosopher. According to Britannica it is realistic and dualistic.
Kashmir Shaivism (Trika or Pratyabhijna): its main texts are the Shiva Sutra (by tradition revealed to Vasugupta), Vasugupta’s Spanda-karika, Utpala’s Pratyabhijna-shastra (c. 900) and the Tantraloka of Abhinavagupta in the 10th century.
Lingayat (Virashaiva): worshippers of Shiva alone, men and women alike, who wear a small lingam on a cord around the neck. South Indian tradition links it with Basava in the 12th century, though some scholars hold that he furthered an existing creed.
Dashanami renunciants: the ten orders of the Shankaracharya tradition, whom Britannica describes as Shaiva ascetics; they wear the tripundra of ash and a rosary of 108 rudraksha seeds.
Main centres
The twelve Jyotirlingas are the main Shaiva places of pilgrimage; the site’s tirth page lists them with sources. Mount Kailash is held to be Shiva’s abode. Besides North and South India, the Himalayan Academy names Nepal and Sri Lanka as main regions of Shaivism.
Where the sources differ
- Founder of the Lingayats: South Indian tradition names Basava (12th century) as founder; according to Britannica some scholars hold that he furthered an existing creed. In the 21st century some Lingayats have sought recognition as a separate religion.
- Beginnings of the Pashupatas: some historians place them in the 2nd century BCE, others in the 2nd century CE (Britannica).
- The count of schools: the Himalayan Academy names six main schools (Shaiva Siddhanta, Pashupata, Kashmir Shaivism, Vira Shaivism, Siddha Siddhanta, Shiva Advaita); Britannica speaks of the Pashupatas, Shaiva Siddhanta, Kashmir Shaivism, the Lingayats, the Dashanami renunciants and folk forms.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Shaiva sampradaya?
The tradition that worships Shiva as the supreme deity. Its followers are called Shaivas; it includes lay devotees, orders of renunciants and philosophical schools such as the Pashupata, Shaiva Siddhanta, Kashmir Shaivism and the Lingayats.
Who founded the Shaiva sampradaya?
No single founder. Its roots are in the Rudra of the Vedas and the Shvetashvatara Upanishad; each school has its own teachers, such as Lakulisha of the Pashupatas, Vasugupta and Abhinavagupta of Kashmir Shaivism, Meykandadeva of Shaiva Siddhanta and Basava of the Lingayats.
What is the difference between Shaiva and Vaishnava?
Shaivas hold Shiva supreme and Vaishnavas hold Vishnu and his avatars supreme. As a mark, Shaivas usually wear three horizontal lines of ash (tripundra) and Vaishnavas a tilak of vertical lines. Both accept the Vedas, and in the Smarta panchayatana puja Shiva and Vishnu are worshipped together.
What does the Shaiva tilak look like?
According to Britannica the Shaiva tilak is usually three horizontal parallel lines across the forehead (tripundra), with or without a red dot; sometimes a crescent moon or trident marks a Shaiva.
How many schools does Shaivism have?
There is no fixed number. The Himalayan Academy counts six main schools: Shaiva Siddhanta, Pashupata, Kashmir Shaivism, Vira Shaivism, Siddha Siddhanta and Shiva Advaita. Britannica speaks of the Pashupatas, Shaiva Siddhanta, Kashmir Shaivism, the Lingayats and the Dashanami renunciants, along with countless folk forms.
Sources
- Shvetashvatara Upanishad 3.2
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: “Shaivism”, “Hinduism: Vaishnavism and Shaivism”, “What festivals involve Shiva and how is he worshipped?”
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: “Pashupata”, “Shaiva-siddhanta”, “Kashmiri Shaivism”, “Lingayat”, “Alvar” (Nayanars), “Dashnami sannyasin”, “tilak”
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: “Hinduism: Tantric traditions and Shaktism” (Shiva Sutra, Trika, Basava’s Vachanas)
- Himalayan Academy (Kauai’s Hindu Monastery): “The Four Denominations of Hinduism”
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