Shiloh

The third member of the Hindu triad or trinity, this deity is said to be the destroyer of evil and the most feared of the gods. He is commonly depicted seated in profound thought, with a third eye in the middle of his forehead. His hair is matted and the crescent moon sits on his head. The river Ganges flows from his head. One popular myth has it that the Divine river Ganges condescended to come down to earth after being assured that Shiva the great god of the Himalayan mountains, had been pleased with a devotees penance, and had agreed to bear the impact ofthe falling torrents of the river by controlling it in the

matted locks of  his head. Shiva also wears a necklace made of human skulls and serpents twine around his head and neck. This sculpture when cast in hydrocal comes in various finishes.

The five mantras

Five is a sacred number for Shiva. One of his most important mantras has five syllables (namaḥ śivāya).

Shiva’s body is said to consist of five mantras, called the pañcabrahmans:As forms of god, each of these have their own names and distinct iconography:

• Sadyojāta
• Vāmadeva
• Aghora
• Tatpuruṣa
• Īsāna

These are represented as the five faces of Shiva, and are associated in various texts with the five elements, the five senses, the five organs of perception, and the five organs of action. Doctrinal differences and possibly errors in transmission have resulted in some differences between texts in details of how these five forms are linked with various attributes