Shiva appears in many different forms in devotional imagery. He is worshipped in the aniconic form of the lingam. In his anthropomorphic form, he appears with matted hair that has a crescent moon in it, with the Ganges River falling through his locks, and with a blue throat from having contained poison during the Churning of the Ocean (Samudra Manthana). He also has a third eye. He carries a trident, a small drum, and sometimes a skull-club and wears a garland of skulls and a serpent around his neck. He is often associated with images of ascetic practice, such as sitting in the Himalayas in a seated yogic pose. He also sometimes appears as Nataraja (“Lord of the Dance”) and as the fierce Bhairava.
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