Pashupati
Sign in to savethumb|The Pashupati seal, showing a figure surrounded by animals who is thought to be Shiva; circa 2350-2000 BCE. It is preserved in [[National Museum, New Delhi]]
Article
14 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- History
- Literature
- Vedas
- Nepala Mahatmya
- Iconography
- By country
- Nepal
- India
- Pashupata Shaivism
- See also
- References
- Sources
- Further reading
thumb|The Pashupati seal, showing a figure surrounded by animals who is thought to be Shiva; circa 2350-2000 BCE. It is preserved in [[National Museum, New Delhi]]
Pashupati (, ,) is an epithet of Rudra in the Vedic period and later, a form of the Hindu deity Shiva, in his benign aspect as the five-faced herdsman of all creatures. Pashupati is traditionally considered to be the guardian deity of Nepal, described in texts such as the Nepala Mahatmya, found in regional versions of the Skanda Purana.