Within Śaivism, the most pervasive symbol is the liṅga, the aniconic pillar or cylindrical form that points to Shiva’s formless, transcendent reality and creative potency. Often paired with the image of Nandi, the white bull who serves as vehicle and gatekeeper, this symbolism evokes both generative power and steadfast dharma, strength, and controlled desire. In many temples and sacred spaces, the liṅga stands as a reminder that the supreme is ultimately beyond ordinary form, even while being intimately present. Rudrākṣa beads, associated with Shiva as Rudra, further emphasize austerity, meditation, and spiritual protection, and are often worn as a mala in devotional practice.

When Shiva is depicted in anthropomorphic form, a rich array of iconographic details conveys his nature. The trident (triśūla) expresses his threefold functions—creation, preservation, and destruction—as well as the capacity to pierce through the three guṇas and the three kinds of suffering. The third eye on his forehead signifies spiritual insight and the power to burn away ignorance and desire. The crescent moon adorning his matted hair alludes to cyclical time and its waxing and waning, while simultaneously indicating Shiva’s mastery over time and the mind. His blue throat (Nīlakaṇṭha), marked by the poison he contains, stands as a symbol of compassion and the mysterious ability to hold and transmute negativity without being overcome by it.

The body and attire of Shiva communicate both radical asceticism and sovereign power. Matted locks (jaṭā) and the ash-smeared body (vibhūti) mark him as the great yogi who dwells in cremation grounds and contemplates impermanence, the burning away of ego, and the dissolution of all forms. Serpents coiled around his neck and limbs suggest fearlessness and dominion over death and time, as well as the presence of potent, coiled energy. The tiger or leopard skin upon which he sits or which he wears indicates mastery over animal instincts and the subjugation of raw, untamed power. His abode, Mount Kailāsa, and his association with cremation grounds together portray a deity who is both beyond the world and profoundly present at its most liminal thresholds.

Another powerful cluster of symbols appears in the flowing Gaṅgā and the small drum (ḍamaru). The sacred river emerging from his matted hair represents purifying grace and the channeled descent of overwhelming cosmic forces into a form that can nourish the world. The ḍamaru, the hourglass-shaped drum, signifies primordial sound and the rhythmic vibration from which creation unfolds and into which it returns. In the Naṭarāja form, Shiva’s cosmic dance within a circle of flames dramatizes this ceaseless cycle of manifestation and dissolution, with the raised foot offering liberation and the subdued dwarf beneath him representing conquered ignorance. Taken together, these symbols form a coherent visual theology, portraying Shiva as both terrifying and benevolent, ascetic and householder, destroyer and benefactor, immanent presence and transcendent absolute.