Shiva's anthropomorphic images serves only as embellishments on temple walls; they are never objects of actual worship. These images of Shiva depict his eight forms: Bhava - existence, Sharva - cosmic archer, Pashupati - divine herdsman, Ugradev - fierce warlord, Mahadev - great god, Rudra- wild avenger, Ishana - supreme lord of the world and Ashani - thunder and hope. Whatever the images, drawn or carved, Shiva can always be recognised by some of these attributes:

Physical Characteristics
In his complete manifestation as the five- headed Panchamukha, Shiva displays five facets of his personality: Sadjyota, radiant; Vamadeva, handsome; Aghora, pleasant; Tatpurusha, perfect man and Ishan, divine being.

He is Karpura-Gouranga, as white as camphore, while Vishnu, the sustainer of life, is said to be dark. Between them lies the spectrum of life's colours. They are like the yang and yin of Chinese mysticism.

When Shiva drank the terrible poison halahal, churned from the ocean by the gods, his neck turned blue, earning him the title Neelakantha.

As Trimbaka, the three eyed god, he used his inner eye to distinguish truth from illusion and to destroy lust that seduces man into samsara. His third eye endorses his position as lord of yoga.

Shiva is known as Kapardin because his long hair, matted with banyan juice, is coiled in the shape of a conch shell, kapardi. With these mighty locks he could trap the mighty river Ganga; with them he can even tame the unruly mind.