Shiva — The Destroyer, Lord of Transformation

Shiva is Maheshvara, the samhara-murti of the Trimurti — the lord of laya (dissolution) who dances the Tandava Nritya within the ring of prabha-mandala (cosmic fire). As Nataraja he tramples Apasmara (the dwarf of ignorance), simultaneously performing srshti, sthiti, samhara, tirobhava, and anugraha — the five divine acts described in Shaiva Agama literature. His body smeared with vibhuti (sacred ash), hair matted with the Ganga, bearing the trishula and damaru, he is both the Mahakala who ends the kalpa and the Dakshinamurti who teaches jnana in silence.