General description of Shiva

Document Type:Research Paper

Subject Area:Arts

Document 1

For instance, Brahma is the supreme creator of the universe and the things in it such as the animals, plants, mountains, water bodies and valleys amongst others. Vishnu is the god who is in charge of preserving all the creations or rather the works that have been done by Brahma. Lastly, Shiva who is the third god in the Hindu triumvirate is responsible for the destruction of the universe. Shiva destroys the universe so as it can provide room for recreation purposes and retain the beauty of creation (Barnett 37). It is important to note that the Hindus have faith the powers of Shiva are in place in the current world. For instance, Lord Shiva would cause calamities such as earthquakes, bush fires, accidents and shipwrecks amongst others to keep the population of the earth balanced (Barnett 56).

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It is also important to note that Lord Shiva is married to his lovely wife known as Parvati. The Hindus believe that strong bonds of love that bind Shiva to his wife Parvati is what makes him have some shreds of love in him. Despite this, their love is only intimate amongst them and does not make him affectionate to other creations. They believe that Shiva is a might being and has to be ruthless when dealing with all the other creations apart from his wife. Goddess Devi is known for her ability to embody herself in different beings in the past. For instance, Devi took the image of Kali who is known as the goddess of death before transforming to Sati who is referred to as the Hindus as the goddess of marital felicity.

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The current form of goddess Devi is Parvati who is the wife of god Shiva. According to Hindus, they believe that Lord Shiva is currently married to Parvati and he lives with his wife in the Kailash Mountains that are located in the Himalayas. It is also important to note that god Shiva is also depicted as the lord of dance in the Hindu religion. The tip of the blazing pillar rose above the clouds and appeared to be piercing the heavens while its roots sunk deeper into the universe. Amazed by this mysterious act, the two gods: Vishnu and Brahma stopped their argument and concentrated on the third being that they both believed to have come from nowhere to challenge their supremacy.

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The two gods agreed to cease their argument and embarked on a mission to investigate the source of the third unique being who they believed to have come to challenge their supremacy. Brahma transformed into a goose and flew to the sky with the aim of finding out the end of the pillar up above the skies. Vishnu, on the other hand, changed into a boar and it began digging into the ground to locate the roots of the blazing mysterious pillar. The Hindus scholars believe that when gods Vishnu and Brahma were fighting on who was the greatest amongst them, a massive light appeared before them and instructed them that the first person to find either the head or the roots of the blazing fire would be considered most powerful.

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The two gods embarked on a search journey that proved to be fruitless after years of tedious work. The two gods believed that the Ananta Lingam that appeared to them was the most powerful god. Their inability to locate the beginning nor the end of the Ananta Lingam signifies the eternity of Lord Shiva. The Hinduism religion believes that Lord Shiva actually existed before ages, still exists and will continue to be into existence till the ages of time (McDaniel 99). This ancient believe religious system states that the humans are expected to respect both the natural and ancestral spirits that they believed to be operational amongst them. For instance, the people were expected to respect the dead by talking well about them and giving them a dissent send off.

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They believed the doing good to the ancestral and natural spirits would protect them and prevent harm from coming their way (Jacques & Philippe 181). It is important to note that Hinduism first entered Indonesia through trading activities that covered the stretch from China through India and then to Indonesia. This happened in the first century during the Common Era trade and was greatly propelled by the local leaders of the region. The most percent religion that had both of these qualities at that time was Islam. The adoption of the Islam in the region led to the increased economic activities in the region, and hence the local leaders became more powerful and respected because they would provide basic needs for their subjects and protect them against external attacks.

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It is important to note that the only region that survived the Islamic conquest was Bali after the ruler sort for refuge in this island. Currently, Hinduism religion in Indonesia is preserved through the Javanese art and culture. The existence of Hinduism religion in the country is shown via the famous wayang performances. For instance, the agricultural offerings known as sasajen are always made in the Balinese Hinduism. Additionally, the Balinese Hinduism believe that the gods live at the highest point of Mount Agung. This mountain is considered sacred in the Balinese Hinduism and is highly respected by the believers. Lastly, the Swastika is the main symbol in the Balinese Hinduism, and it signifies sacred force of empowerment that is drawn from the gods.

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The purposes of Indonesian bronzes The different Indonesian bronzes served various purposes. The inhabitants of the country would engage in wars, and hence they tailor-made different bronzes that they would use for protection when they were attacked by their enemies. For instance, the ancient Indonesians made bamboo and fiber arrows of the mid-20th century, pesh-kabz daggers with a sheath of the 19th century, kozuka knife handle of the 17th century and the fuchigashira sword-hilt collar and pommel of the 16th century amongst other weapons. Further, some of the Indonesian bronzes were used for as a sign of prestige. The increased trade in the region and the introduction of the Islamism religion lead to the creation of many politically and economically stable empires.

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Many people in these regions such as the kings and traders amassed a lot of wealth from the trading activities they engaged themselves in. For instance, the bronze statuette of Shiva from the bronze and Iron Age are some of the most precious artifacts that are found in many Indonesian museums. Lastly, some of the Indonesian bronzes were used for ceremonial purposes. As earlier stated, the Indonesian Hinduism is formed from the amalgamation of animism, dynamism, Buddhism and Hindu religions. The ancient animism and dynamism believe was founded on performing spiritual rituals that served the purpose of appeasing both the natural and ancestral spirits. Even to date, these rituals are still practiced by the Balinese Hinduism. The second example is drawn from Mahabharata whereby Shiva is portrayed as a god who has three eyes (McDaniel 109).

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Further, Shiva also has a crescent moon on his head. This signifies the time when Shiva became the major deity of the Hindu religion. The Hindu scholars believe that the origin of the moon is attributed to the fact that Shiva jointly identified the moon with Soma. The Hindu literature identifies Shiva and Soma as the moon (McDaniel 109). The Sacred Ganga is said to depict the fact that god Shiva is the bearer of river Ganga. River Ganga is one of the rivers in Indonesia, and the Hindus believe that the source of this river is from the matted hair of Lord Shiva. The river is therefore considered sacred in the Hinduism religion since it draws its water directly from their supreme god (McDaniel 103).

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It is also important to note that the bronze statuette of Shiva always shows him seated on a tiger skin. The tiger is always considered one of the most fierce and dangerous wild animals in most Asian countries such as Indonesia, China, and India. This rosary is a representation of grace that the Hindus are assured of when they employ the arts of meditation and mendicant life throughout their earthly lives (McDaniel 106). In conclusion, the Nandi signifies the name of the bull that it believed to be serving as the mountain of god Shiva. Lord Shiva is also known as the lord of cattle according to the Sanskrit scriptural translation. This is the main reason as to why bulls are always considered as sacred animals in the Hinduism religion (McDaniel 107).

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