H: Shri Uma-Maheshwar

• Maheshwar, or Shiva, is the Destroyer aspect of the divine Hindu Trinity. Brahma is the Creator; Vishnu, the Sustainer.
• Shiva takes the form of an ascetic yogi. By his yogic powers, he sustained on his head the flow of the holy river Ganga when it descended from heaven to earth.
• He also digested the poison that emerged from the churning of the ocean, hence his bluish hue.
• Uma, or Parvati, the feminine power of Shiva, is represented as his inseparable consort. She is also known as Shakti.