Kamal Ghorui
Shaivism as a sect, worships various forms of Shiva and has its origins in India. The Rigvedic Rudra or the Siva-lingas reported from the sites of Saraswati-Sindhu Civilization were not confined to India. Over time, they spread beyond India and evidence of Shiva worship can be found in present-day Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Indonesia, and China.
Between the fourth century CE and the eighth century CE, a culture flourished between the Amu Darya and Syr Darya Rivers, known as the Sogdiana culture. An ancient city of this culture was Panjakent. From this city, one of the houses yielded a mural of Lord Shiva from a mud wall. In this mural, he is depicted wearing a sacred thread and a tiger skin. He is depicted holding his weapon, a trident. The significance of this image lies in the fact that below the image of Lord Shiva, two men are depicted bowing to him. Both are dressed in Sogdian traditional attire. This indicates that the local Sogdian people believed in Shiva worship and hints towards the spread of Shiva worship in Central Asia.
China is another neighboring country of India and evidence of Shiva worship is present here as well. In the ancient Chinese city of Jiuquan, cave temples were carved out of rock in the sixth century CE. Among these caves, Cave No. 285 contains an image of Lord Shiva. This image depicts Lord Shiva with his sons. Influenced by the Ajanta paintings, this image also depicts Kartikeya and Ganesha. These reporting indicate that Shiva worship was prevalent in China during the Northern Wei Dynasty.
In addition to these two countries, Shiva worship is also prevalent across a large extent of Southeast Asia. In Indonesia, Shaivism has existed since ancient times. While other sects of the Sanatan tradition also spread to this region, Shaivism remains the most prominent. Shaivism arrived in this region with Indian traders. Shiva worship in Indonesia began to gain prominence as early as the fourth century CE.
The Mataram dynasty, which ruled from the eighth to the tenth centuries CE, considered Shiva its primary deity. The kings of this dynasty added the word ‘Girindra’ to their names, which refers to Shiva, the god of mountains.
The Prambanan Temple, located in Java, Indonesia, is also primarily dedicated to Shiva. This temple is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. It depicts various forms of Shiva, such as Nataraja and his contribution to the churning of the ocean. The decline of Shiva worship in Indonesia began with the arrival of Islam in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries CE.
In ancient times, the Champa kingdom spanned the central and southern parts of Vietnam. Shaivism also held significant influence in the Champa kingdom. It is believed that Shaivism was the official religion of the Champa kingdom. Numerous Shaivite sculptures are found in Vietnam. Among these sculptures, prominent figures are Shiva (human form), Ganesha, Nataraja, and the Shivalinga. It is noteworthy that Indian texts describe the three parts of the Shivalinga: Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh. All three of these are depicted on the Siva-lingas found in Vietnam. Similarly, from Myanmar also, we find evidence of Shaivism. Archaeological excavations in Myanmar have yielded images of Siva-lingas, Yoni-peetha, Shiva-Parvati, Nandi, etc.
Anandachandra, the ruler of the Arakan (Rakhine) region in the eighth century CE, described his dynasty as descended from Shiva in an inscription.
In Sri Lanka, another neighboring nation, Shiva worship dates back to 2,300 years before the present day. A Brahmi inscription from the 3rd century BCE mentions Maha Shiva. This indicates that Shaivism existed in Sri Lanka even before the arrival of Buddhism. Evidence of Shiva worship is also found in the ancient Sri Lankan text called the Mahavamsa.
The above archaeological and historical accounts clearly demonstrate that Shaivism spread outside India in ancient times. This evidence, found in countries neighboring India, indicates the cultural unity and homogeneity of this entire region. The spread of Shaivism also demonstrates that Indian philosophy spread outside India without the force of swords or greed, and people readily accepted it.
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