Shaivism
- Shaivism reveres the god Shiva as the Supreme Being. Shaivas believe that Shiva is All and in all, the creator, preserver, destroyer, revealer and concealer of all that is.
- Devotees of Shiva wear Sacred ash as a sectarian mark on their foreheads and other parts of their bodies with reverence.
- The Sanskrit words bhasma and vibhuti can both be translated as “sacred ash”.
- Shaivism has a vast literature that includes texts representing multiple philosophical schools, including non-dualist (abheda), dualist (bheda), and non-dual-with-dualism (bhedābheda) perspectives.
- Shaiva tradition is probably the oldest among Hindu sects. In Shaiva sect Lord Shiva is the main deity, he is considered as the form of the supreme being.
- Ishwara which is another name for Shiva is used in the ancient scriptures to mean the absolute god.
- The sub-sects within the Shaiva tradition worship different forms of Shiva and attribute different qualities to Shiva.
Sub-sects in Shaiva tradition
- Pashupata Shaivism
- Shaiva Siddhanta
- Kashmir Shaivism
- Siddha Siddhanta
- Lingayata
- Shiva Advaita
