Five Mukhalinga of Lord Shiva

The linga is a divine image of Shiva. A linga with one or more human faces is known as Mukhalinga. The pancha-mukhalinga is a five-faced mukhalinga. Shiva’s five faces represent the traditional elements, directions, five senses, and five body parts. Sadyojata, Vamadeva, Aghora, Tatpurusha, and Ishana are Shiva’s five aspects which also relate to the classical elements and the cardinal directions.

To make it easier for individual souls to adore him, the almighty, infinite and eternal God Shiva has shown himself in various forms. “Nishkala” is the name given to the formless shape of Shivalinga. Mukhalingas, on the other hand, are Shivalingas with Shiva’s head on their faces and are classed as “Sakala nishkala” form.

Significance of Five Faces:-

The upper face is known as Ishana or Sadashiva, who oversees the sky and is rarely represented. Sadyojata or Mahadeva, the earth’s protector, is shown on the east face. The west face is Tatpurusha or Nandi, which means “wind” in Sanskrit. Aghora or Bhairava(fire, Agni) faces south, whereas Vamadeva, Uma, or Tamreshvara faces north. In certain writings, the east face is referred to as Tatpurusha, whereas the western face is referred to as Sadyojata. The five-aspect icon represents the entire universe.

Extension of Mukhalingas:-

Mukhalingas are found throughout India and Nepal. They are also found in the former Champa kingdom, which is now in Vietnam, as well as Cambodia and Borneo in Southeast Asia, and Afghanistan in western India. Similar images of phalluses with carved faces from Greece and Celtic Europe resemble mukhalingas of Shiva. A five-faced mukhalinga from Bhita, dated to the second century BCE, is one of the earliest examples of the mukhalinga.

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• Featured Image: Panchamukha Shiva Linga on top of the Chandrashila peak, Tunganath, Uttarakhand Twitter
• 2nd Image Source
• 3rd Image Source