#History of Shiva

[thehindudeities]

Unveiling the Sacred History of Shiva According to Shiv Puran

In Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva holds a prominent place as the destroyer and transformer within the divine trinity. The Shiv Puran, an ancient scripture, delves into the captivating history and legends surrounding this revered deity. Join us on a journey as we explore the rich tapestry of Shiva’s past, unveiling the profound significance and divine attributes associated with the eternal…

[rrcraft-and-lore]

In addition to my Monkey Man post from earlier, the always kind & sweet Aparna Verma (author of The Phoenix King, check it out) asked that I do a thread on Hijras, & more of the history around them, South Asia, mythology (because that's my thing), & the positive inclusion of them in Monkey Man which I brought up in my gushing review.

Hijra: They are the transgender, eunuch, or intersex people in India who are officially recognized as the third sex throughout most countries in the Indian subcontinent. The trans community and history in India goes back a long way as being documented and officially recognized - far back as 12th century under the Delhi Sultanate in government records, and further back in our stories in Hinduism. The word itself is a Hindi word that's been roughly translated into English as "eunuch" commonly but it's not exactly accurate.

Hijras have been considered the third sex back in our ancient stories, and by 2014 got official recognition to identify as the third gender (neither male or female) legally. Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and India have accepted: eunuch, trans, intersex people & granted them the proper identification options on passports and other government official documents.

But let's get into some of the history surrounding the Hijra community (which for the longest time has been nomadic, and a part of India's long, rich, and sometimes, sadly, troubled history of nomadic tribes/people who have suffered a lot over the ages. Hijras and intersex people are mentioned as far back as in the Kama Sutra, as well as in the early writings of Manu Smriti in the 1st century CE (Common Era), specifically said that a third sex can exist if possessing equal male and female seed.

This concept of balancing male/female energies, seed, and halves is seen in two places in South Asian mythos/culture and connected to the Hijra history.

First, we have Aravan/Iravan (romanized) - who is also the patron deity of the transgender community. He is most commonly seen as a minor/village deity and is depicted in the Indian epic Mahabharata. Aravan is portrayed as having a heroic in the story and his self-sacrifice to the goddess Kali earns him a boon.

He requests to be married before his death. But because he is doomed to die so shortly after marriage, no one wants to marry him.

No one except Krishna, who adopts his female form Mohini (one of the legendary temptresses in mythology I've written about before) and marries him. It is through this union of male, and male presenting as female in the female form of Mohini that the seed of the Hijras is said to begun, and why the transgender community often worships Aravan and, another name for the community is Aravani - of/from Aravan.

But that's not the only place where a gender non conforming divine representation can be seen. Ardhanarishvara is the half female form of lord Shiva, the destroyer god.

Shiva combines with his consort Parvarti and creates a form that represents the balancing/union between male/female energies and physically as a perfectly split down the middle half-male half-female being. This duality in nature has long been part of South Asian culture, spiritual and philosophical beliefs, and it must be noted the sexuality/gender has often been displayed as fluid in South Asian epics and the stories. It's nothing new.

Many celestial or cosmic level beings have expressed this, and defied modern western limiting beliefs on the ideas of these themes/possibilities/forms of existence.

Ardhanarishvara signifies "totality that lies beyond duality", "bi-unity of male and female in God" and "the bisexuality and therefore the non-duality" of the Supreme Being.

Back to the Hijra community.

They have a complex and long history. Throughout time, and as commented on in the movie, Monkey Man, the Hijra community has faced ostracization, but also been incorporated into mainstream society there. During the time of the Dehli Sultanate and then later the Mughal Empire, Hijras actually served in the military and as military commanders in some records, they were also servants for wealthy households, manual laborers, political guardians, and it was seen as wise to put women under the protection of Hijras -- they often specifically served as the bodyguards and overseers of harems. A princess might be appointed a Hijra warrior to guard her.

But by the time of British colonialism, anti-Hijra laws began to come in place folded into laws against the many nomadic tribes of India (also shown in part in Monkey Man with Kid (portrayed by Dev Patel) and his family, who are possibly

one of those nomadic tribes that participated in early theater - sadly by caste often treated horribly and relegated to only the performing arts to make money (this is a guess based on the village play they were performing as no other details were given about his family).

Hijras were criminalized in 1861 by the Indian Penal Code enforced by the British and were labeled specifically as "The Hijra Problem" -- leading to an anti-Hijra campaign across the subcontinent with following laws being enacted: punishing the practices of the Hijra community, and outlawing castration (something many Hijra did to themselves). Though, it should be noted many of the laws were rarely enforced by local Indian officials/officers. But, the British made a point to further the laws against them by later adding the Criminal Tribes Act in 1871, which targeted the Hijra community along with the other nomadic Indian tribes - it subjected them to registration, tracking/monitoring, stripping them of children, and their ability to sequester themselves in their nomadic lifestyle away from the British Colonial Rule.

Today, things have changed and Hijras are being seen once again in a more positive light (though not always and this is something Monkey Man balances by what's happened to the community in a few scenes, and the heroic return/scene with Dev and his warriors). All-hijra communities exist and sort of mirror the western concept of "found families" where they are safe haven/welcoming place trans folks and those identifying as intersex.

These communities also have their own secret language known as Hijra Farsi, which is loosely based on Hindi, but consists of a unique vocabulary of at least 1,000 words.

As noted above, in 2014, the trans community received more legal rights.

Specifically: In April 2014, Justice K. S. Radhakrishnan declared transgender to be the third gender in Indian law in National Legal Services Authority v. Union of India.

Hijras, Eunuchs, apart from binary gender, be treated as "third gender" for the purpose of safeguarding their rights under Part III of our Constitution and the laws made by the Parliament and the State Legislature. Transgender persons' right to decide their self-identified gender is also upheld and the Centre and State Governments are directed to grant legal recognition of their gender identity such as male, female or as third gender.

I've included some screenshots of (some, not all, and certainly not the only/definitive reads) books people can check out about SOME of the history. Not all again. This goes back ages and even our celestial beings/creatures have/do display gender non conforming ways.

There are also films that touch on Hijra history and life. But in regards to Monkey Man, which is what started this thread particularly and being asked to comment - it is a film that positively portrayed India's third sex and normalized it in its depiction. Kid the protagonist encounters a found family of Hijras at one point in the story (no spoilers for plot) and his interactions/acceptance, living with them is just normal. There's no explaining, justifying, anything to/for the audience. It simply is. And, it's a beautiful arc of the story of Kid finding himself in their care/company.

[ancientorigins]

The ancient roots of Hindu mythology reveal the profound impact Shiva has had on philosophy, culture, and spirituality. The archaeological wonders of the Indus Valley unveil Shiva's prehistoric origins through symbols that have paved the way for millennia of worship.

From the ancient Rigveda to the captivating Puranic narratives, the intricate evolution of Shiva's story tells of the cosmic dance, divine marriages, and benevolent feats that shape the captivating mythology of ‘the Great God’.

From the third eye of wisdom to the rhythmic beat of the damaru, these timeless tales and symbols make Shiva one of the oldest and most revered gods in the world.

[whencyclopedia]

Ellora Caves

Ellora (also known as Elura and, in ancient times, as Elapura) is a sacred site in Maharastra, central India. The Ellora Caves are listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site and is celebrated for its Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain temples and monuments which were carved from the local cliff rock in the 6th to 8th century CE. The most spectacular example is the 8th century CE Kailasa temple which, at 32 metres high, is the largest rock-cut monument in the world.

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[moehistory]

Shiva is always volunteering to help at the art club but he is so clumsy he usually makes a bigger mess. He always feels bad when he breaks Brahma's figurines. He brings her flowers to apologize.

Shiva

[mascamaiorum]

"The Lord of Animals", Pashupati Seal, from the city of Mohenjo Daro, Indus Valley Civilisation

vs

Hyrule's Horse God Malanya

[tumblingxelian]

Hello again!

Today we discuss the ever changing characterization of Lady Siva!

Also with thanks to our editor, enigma2meagain, if you're looking to hire them, please follow the link! https://www.tumblr.com/enigma2meagain

My Patreon and Ko-Fi can be found here, every little bit helps! https://www.patreon.com/ShakeTailStudios

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Reference Material:

https://www.tumblr.com/tumblingxelian... https://www.tumblr.com/judgeanon/7075... https://www.tumblr.com/judgeanon/7063... https://but-a-humble-goon.tumblr.com/... https://judgeanon.tumblr.com/post/690... https://judgeanon.tumblr.com/post/670... https://judgeanon.tumblr.com/post/674... https://autisticcassandracain.tumblr.... https://judgeanon.tumblr.com/post/668... https://www.tumblr.com/tumblingxelian...

[spite-and-waffles]

Found this excellent thread compiling the evolution of the DCU's Asian mothers - Lady Shiva, Shado, Cheshire, Talia Al Ghul and Linda Park.

Talia is the only one not entirely of East/South East Asian descent (for all the good that does her lmaoo DC absolutely hates Asian women), and I've mentioned earlier that she's still probably three-quarters Chinese (Ra's was originally a manifestation of the US's Yellow Peril, which later evolved into the "Arab World" anxieties around the Gulf War in the '90s and finally Arab terrorist tropes post 9/11). Still, considering Damian was introduced with Arab jihadist tropes, that Talia' still very much the "Arab terrorist woman", and the lack of West Asian characters in the DCU, it gave me a little thrill to see this:

(Alt text included)

It's from a fan created book called Gotham: (1919 - 1939) by the boutique publishing company Giant Panda King. It's not a DC affiliated or authorized one, but it's still the first time I'm seeing such a gorgeous face claim.

[alto-tenure]

BTW, Dinah's list of possible BOP candidates:

Babs

Vixen

Grace Choi

Huntress

Lady Shiva

Talia (with a question mark)

Cheshire (also with a question mark)

Catwoman (on the list as Selina)

Onyx (I believe?)

Katana

Manhunter (I believe?)

Zatanna

Black (???) [It was suggested to me that this is possibly Lady Blackhawk, who has appeared on the BOP before]

Fire/Ice (they're a set, do not separate)

[nickysfacts]

You could say that the builders of these beautiful temples at the Ellora caves were huge stoners!😂

☸️🇮🇳🕉️

[nebula-of-sempiternal-dreams]

Moodboard #13 India

[whencyclopedia]

Ganesha

Ganesha (also Ganesa or Ganapati) is one of the most important gods in Hinduism. Ganesha is easily recognized with his elephant head and human body, representing the soul (atman) and the physical (maya). Ganesha is the patron of writers, travellers, students, and commerce, and he removes obstacles blocking new projects. The deity is fond of sweets, to the slight detriment of his figure.

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[lesbogosian]

judy poovey is the type of bitch to get in this situation

[sunvijaysingh]

POWER OF OM

Om is a great tool for manifesting positive things in your life. Chanting Om calms your mind and helps you bring in positive energy into your body. You can control your anger by chanting Om on a regular basis. Stress lies in your mind and chanting Om can release stress from your mind.

[thehindudeities]

History of Samudra Manthan Unveiled: Delving into the Ancient Depths

The epic tale of Samudra Manthan, also known as the Churning of the Ocean, is a captivating episode from Hindu mythology that holds deep cultural and spiritual significance. In this blog post, we embark on a journey to unravel the enthralling history of Samudra Manthan. Join us as we delve into the celestial realm, witness the cosmic battle, and uncover the treasures that emerged from the…