Shaivismwho
Shaivism is a major tradition within Hinduism that venerates the deity Shiva as the supreme being. It emerged in the Indian subcontinent around the third century BCE, with its roots in the Upanishadic and Vedic traditions. Early texts such as the Vedas and the Upanishads emphasize the notion of an omnipresent reality, which later became associated with Shiva in the Saiva canon. The Puranic literature, notably the Shiva Purana, expanded on traditions and mythologies that reinforce Shiva's role as creator, preserver, and destroyer of the cosmos.
The philosophical orientation of Shaivism is diverse. Some branches, like the Kashmir Shaivism of the 12th
Key figures include the temple architect Annamayya no; the mystic poet Appar, then collinear poet- at the