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Shaivism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Shaivism
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Shaivism or Saivism (Sanskrit: , aiva pa tha; lit. "associated with Shiva"), is one of the four most widely followed sects of Hinduism, which reveres the god Shiva as the Supreme Being. Followers of Shaivam, called "Shaivas," and also "Saivas" or "Shaivites," believe that Shiva is All and in all, the creator, preserver, destroyer, revealer and concealer of all that is. Shaivism is widespread throughout India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Areas notable for the practice of Shaivism include parts of Southeast Asia, especially Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia.

Contents
1 General features 2 History 3 Major schools 3.1 Puranic and non-Puranic 3.2 Pashupata Shaivism 3.3 Shaiva Siddhanta 3.4 Kashmir Shaivism 3.5 Siddha Siddhanta 3.6 Lingayatism 3.7 Shiva Advaita 4 Shaivite literature and texts 5 Festivals 6 See also 7 References 8 Sources 9 External links 10 External links

General features
Sacred ash came to be used as a sign of Shaivism. Devotees of Shiva wear it as a sectarian mark on their foreheads and other parts of their bodies with reverence. The Sanskrit words bhasma[1] and vibhuti[2] can both be translated as "sacred ash".

History
Main article: History of Shaivism It is very difficult to determine the early history of Shaivism. Shaivism is the oldest worship of hinduism. Pashupata was the first Lord worshipped.[3] The vetvatara Upanishad (400 - 200 BCE)[4] is the earliest textual exposition of a systematic philosophy of Shaivism.[5] As explained by Gavin Flood, the text proposes:
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