Within Śaivism, the Śiva Liṅga is revered as the most characteristic emblem of Śiva’s presence, an aniconic, “formless form” that points beyond ordinary anthropomorphic imagery. Rather than being understood in a crude or merely physical sense, it is taken as a symbol of the ultimate reality: Śiva as formless, eternal consciousness, both unmanifest (nirguṇa) and manifest (saguṇa). The liṅga is typically set in the circular base known as the yoni, and this pairing expresses the inseparable unity of Śiva as pure awareness (puruṣa) and Śakti as dynamic energy or creative power (prakṛti). In this way it evokes the creative, regenerative principle that sustains the cosmos, the generative power from which all existence arises. Many traditions also see in its pillar-like form the image of the infinite axis of the universe, the beginningless and endless nature of divine consciousness. Because it is deliberately abstract, the liṅga is used to suggest that Śiva ultimately transcends all limiting forms and attributes, including gender and specific personal features.

The modes of worship surrounding the liṅga reflect this understanding of Śiva as both intimately present and utterly transcendent. Daily pūjā typically begins with purification of the space and the worshipper, followed by invocation of Śiva and the offering of the traditional upacāras, often structured as the sixteenfold worship (ṣoḍaśopacāra). Central to this is abhiṣeka, the ritual bathing of the liṅga with water, milk, yogurt, ghee, honey, sugar, and other sanctified substances, each associated in practice with auspicious qualities such as purity, nourishment, and the removal of obstacles. The liṅga is adorned with bilva (bel) leaves—often in sets of three—flowers (especially white blossoms and dhattūra), sacred ash (vibhūti), incense, and lamps. Devotees chant mantras, above all “Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya,” and may recite Śaiva hymns and Vedic passages, while circumambulating the liṅga in a clockwise direction as an act of reverence. On special occasions such as Mahāśivarātri, on Mondays, and during the month of Śrāvaṇa, these practices are intensified, with extended worship, repeated abhiṣekas, and prolonged mantra recitation. Through such ritual engagement, the external emblem of stone or metal becomes a focal point for devotion, surrender, and contemplative recognition of Śiva as the supreme consciousness pervading all existence.