Nandi
December 7, 2024
Nandi is the vehicle of Hindu god Shiva. Nandi is one of Shiva’s main attendants and is sometimes depicted in sculptures as a bull-headed dwarf. Nandi is again called Nandikeswara. Most Shaivite temples feature the image of a humped bull. Usually seen resting on a raised platform facing the temple entrance.
There is no separate worship of Nandi. But it is worshiped during Shiva Puja on Shivratri. In most Shiva temples today, the image of a bull looking at Shiva is represented as Nandi on the right side of the Shiva icon. Nandi is mentioned in the famous book ‘Ramayana’. [Md Shahin Alam]
Image: Nandi, Period: Circa 11th – 12th Century CE (?), Mainamati Museum, Department of Archaeology, Cumilla, Bangladesh.