Background about the Lord

Siva and Uma are most likely of Dravidian origin and they are Indian modification of the great Mother Goddess and her consort of the Mediterranean peoples. The name Siva has been explained partly to be of Dravidian origin. In Tamil Sivan means Red and the Lord was known to the early Aryans as Nila-Lohita,the Red one with the Blue throat. Sambhu another name for Siva, has been compared with the Tamil chempu meaning copper. It is likely that the Red God was first rendered into Aryan speech as Rudra and then this name was identified with the Aryan Storm God, the father of the Maruts or the Storm Winds, whose name Rudra in Aryan meant 'the Roarer'.

The figure of Siva as the great Yogin, Pasupati, Mahadeva, appear to have been known to the people of Mohenjo daro as shown by the very important seal in the figure of the divinity who can only be identified with the Siva of the later times. Siva was referred into in the Rig Veda and may not be an intruder into the Hindu pantheon.

Saivism popularity’s with foreign kings, Kushanas and the Huna king Mihirakula continued (320 to 750 a.d.). Tirumular's 'Tirumandiram' is supposed to be a masterpiece on the Saiva doctrine.

The beginning of Kashmir Saivism ( regard the individual soul and the world as identical with Siva ) are to be traced to the Sivasutras whose authorship is traced to Siva himself. The sutras are said to have been revealed by a sage Vasugupta who lived towards the end of the 8th century a.d. The Ultimate Reality is Siva himself.

1000 to 1300 a.d. : Saivism continued to flourish in Kashmir. The deity of the Royal house of Nepal is Pasupati. In Bengal and Assam Siva was revered too. The Cholas were great patrons of Saivism. The Kailasa Temple at Ellora was built by the Rashtrakutas and completed between 758 and 773 a.d.