Aghora Shiva, Thiruvengadu, Tamil Nadu

Within the darkness of the night, walks this form of Lord Shiva, Shiva Aghoramurthy. He rules the night, kala and these hours are for the other world spirits to worship him. Aghora Shiva is worshiped by all, the night is alive with divinity as it wakes the other world, of ghosts and ghouls and aghoris to follow this form - the left hand path of worship.

Its not scary as much as it is eye opening, that we prefer to see a beautifully clad aghora rudra within the temple wall in stone and not the real fiery self that walks the night. Aghora Shiva, raw energy, raw power, raw beauty of anger and fury rising from the being, from his eyes, forming a halo of flaming light around his head, this multi handed deity adorns the temple precinct around the main shrine of Lord Shiva in his iconic form.

In the early hours of the morning at the temple of Thiruvenkadu, Veerabhadra, resides within his chamber, surrounded by flickering lights that turn this earthly chamber into divine heaven with his presence. Adorned in the glint of gold, decorated in royalty this ash clad Lord is dressed like a King. Decked in jewellery and covered in flowers, one can sing the Rudram and bathe themselves in his presence. Such beauty can be found nowhere else, which is just brought to light by the glowing lamps.

Aghora Shiva is powerful, fierce, graceful, and yet terrifying. He kills all evil, he protects us, he brings us our peace and yet we fear this form! And as we mindlessly move on, little do we notice a painter furiously at work. Seeped in silence, a passionate painter catches the glimpse of this fiery Lord into his canvas.

40 days of passion, with hours spent during Brahmamuhurta, the painter sits before Him and absorbs his form. And in a lightening flash he awakens the very Lord Veerabhadra to come alive in his brush and begins to render this unthinkable form!

The glint of gold, the sheen of silver, the blackness of mahakala just bathes the dimly lit interior...such a beauty that the mind just rests, there is no room for thought, there is just music in the heart to see the Lord display his presence through the eyes of the painter who prays to him, requesting him to make his appearance divine in his canvas.

The mind is a powerful tool and it performs many unthinkable miracles. One such miracle is the way this painter religiously renders the beauty and form and divinity of every God as he imbibes them into himself. Truely miraculous. There was never another of his kind, Artist Silpi was the chosen one, one who would paint, one who could capture even Lord Aghora Rudra into his brush and request this fiery Lord to descend into his canvas to stay there and bless all those who worshiped him.

With the rhythm of the Rudram in my mind, I salute this great artist for his passion and bhakti, a silent devotee who left his art and expression behind for us to feel the presence of the Lord.