5. Shiva Tattoos with Ganga 

The story of Shiva and Ganga is long and involved, but the key component is this – Shiva trapped Goddess Ganga in his hair, controlled her rage and released her slowly in streams. This is why so many images of Shiva depict Ganga on his head, still tightly secured in his hair. 

Find a tattooist skilled enough to make Ganga look like herself, instead of a bundled lump. Those skilled in fine detail and even portraiture will be able to work enough detail into the relatively small figure of Ganga. 

6. Shiva Tattoos with Trishula Spear 

Shiva is often depicted with his signature spear; a trident called the Trishula. This spear is hugely significant and represents Shiva’s mastery over the three states of waking, sleeping and dreaming, as well as the past, present and future. Legend tells us that Shiva used his trishula to accidentally sever the head of his wife Parvati’s son, Ganesh – he later replaced it with the head of an elephant. 

The trishula represents a great deal of power, and trishula tattoos are bold statements about the power you aspire to have or have already gained. For a Shiva tattoo small enough to fit on a smaller body part, a single trishula is a subtle option. 

Shiva Tattoo FAQ’s

What Does a Shiva Tattoo Mean? 

Shiva tattoos can mean different things to different people. Saivites are members of a branch of Hinduism which regards Shiva as their main deity, instead of part of a deity triad – along with Brahma and Vishnu – in more traditional Hinduism. Within this triad, Shiva is often called the Destroyer – meaning he destroys the negative aspects within us, allowing positive change to occur. This destruction of leads to him being depicted as angry or full of rage. He’s also believed to have created himself out of nothingness.