All that is created must one day disintegrate; this disintegration is a return to the formless void from which creation may once again spring forth. Shiva is the dynamic power behind this endless cycle of birth, death and rebirth. He is the master of Tantric yoga, an esoteric science of sexuality, and also the Lord of ascetics, renunciates and yogis. He is the god of the battlefield, the cremation grounds, and inauspicious crossroads, and he is accompanied by demons, ghosts, and evil spirits. An ofternfrightening deity, Shiva is also the exponent of the arts and the creator of dance.
 

Shiva is worshipped in both his anthropomorphic aspect, or more commonly in
his aniconic aspect, the Linga. Contrary to a common (and uneducated) notion
held in the west, the Shiva Lingam is not worshipped by Hindus as a phallic
image. This idea was promulgated by arrogant and prudish Christian missionaries
during the 18th century. The more accurate explanation of Linga worship is
similar to explanations for the worship of certain stones and mountains
throughout the ancient world - these natural objects are understood to be the
sources or dwelling places of the spirits of the earth. The Linga is merely a
miniature sacred mountain.  In some temples the Linga is simply an
unsculpted outcropping of stone, in others a particular image has been fashioned
and installed. This later, archaeologically speaking, more recent type of Linga
will have always have two well defined parts; a circular horizontal base called
a 'yoni' or a 'pitha' which is the female component, and the vertical stone
shaft signifying the Shiva component (there may also be a square base signifying
Brahma and an octagonal one signifying Vishnu). Sometimes the face of Shiva may
be carved or painted upon the linga, or there will be a serpent, a common symbol
of Shiva.
 

While Shiva temples are abundant throughout India's many thousands of
villages, there are only a small number that are recongnized as true pilgrimage
shrines. The distinction arises from the fact that, while any structure may
house an idol of Shiva and thereby be utilized in the worship of the deity, the
true pilgrimage shrines are those places where Shiva has actually manifested
some aspect of his divine nature. Hindu texts delineate three distinct
categories of Shiva shrines; the Jyotir Lingas, the Bhuta Lingas, and the
Svayambhu Lingas. The Jyotir Lingas, twelve in number and located throughout the country are considered the most important.