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An idol of Nandi in a Chennai temple

Nandi/Nandhi (Sanskrit: नंद), a hindu god, is the bull which Lord Siva rides and the gate keeper of the Shiva according to Hindu mythology. An idol of Nandi facing the main shrine will be seen in every Siva temple . There are also a number of temples dedicated solely to Nandi.

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A giant idol of Nandi at Lepakshi

1. A primary god: This can be traced back to Indus Valley Civilization, where dairy farming was the most important occupations, thus explaining the appearance of various artifacts indicating a deity much like Siva. This deity also called as Pasupati is believed to have been worshipped as the keeper of herds. Some purans describe Nandi or Nandikeshvara as bull faced human body and that resembles Siva, but with four hands, two hands holding the Parasu (the axe) and Mruga (the antelope) and the other two hands joined together in the Anjali(obeisance).
2. Carrier of Shiva: It seems he was later converted into the present day Siva, with the bull Nandi as his primary vehicle. The Idol of Siva will be placed on an Idol of Nandi during festival processions.
3. Gate keeper of Siva's place: The close association of Shiva and Nandi explains the presence of a statue of Nandi at the gate of the Garbha Griha (sanctum sanctorum) of every mandir dedicated to Siva. It also explains why the word "nandi" in the Tamil language is used as a metaphor for a person blocking the way. In Sanskrit, a bull is called "vrisha", which has another connotation - that of righteousness or Dharma. It is important to seek the blessings of Nandi before proceeding to worship Lord Siva.
4. Chief in Shiva's army: Some Puranas mention that Nandi lead the Siva Ganas, Siva's attendants.
5. A Guru of Saivism: In addition to being his mount, Nandi is Shiva's foremost disciple. In the Natha/Siddhar tradition, Nandi is the one of the primal gurus. He was the guru to Siddhar Thirumulanathar, Patanjalinathar and others.

The idol of Nandi is at the Dodda Ganeshana Gudi, Bangalore.

According to Some Puranas, he was born out of the right side of Vishnu resembling Siva exactly and given as a son to the sage Salankayana. Some purnas mention him as the son of the sage Silada who got him by the grace of Shiva.

It was Nandi who cursed Ravana (the demon King of Lanka) that his kingdom would be burnt by a monkey (Vanara). And later Hanuman burnt Lanka when he went in search of Sita, who was kept prisoner by Ravana in Ashok Vatika.

When the positive forces, the devas, and the negative forces, the asuras, joined together on a rare occasion to churn the mountain to obtain the nectar of immortality they utilized Vasuki, the serpent, as the rope. The devas pulled from one end and the asuras from the other. Vasuki was upset during the process of this churning, and vomited up a poison which became human karma. This "poison" was so dangerous that none of the devas or asuras wanted to go near it. It was extremely sticky and coming into contact with this poison, i.e, human karma, would drag the divinity down to the realms of human suffering and ego. As everyone else ran away, Lord Siva, followed by Nandi, came forward to help as he was the only one who could counteract this deadly poison. Shiva took the poison into his hand and drank it. Nandi saw some of the poison spill out of Siva's mouth and immediately drank if off the ground. The devas and asuras watching were shocked and wondered aloud what would happen to Nandi. Lord Siva calmed their fears saying, "Nandi has surrendered into me so completely that he has all my powers and my protection".

1. Lepakshi, Andhra Pradesh
2. Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu
3. Chamundi Hills, Mysore, Karnataka
4. Bull Temple, Bangalore, Karnataka
5. Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu
6. Hoysaleswara Temple, Halebidu, Karnataka
7. Shanthaleswara Temple, Halebidu, Karnataka

• Apis (Egyptian mythology)

Nandi: Gongakondaicholapuram temple in Tamil Nadu

The white color of the bull symbolizes purity and justice.

• Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 0-500-51088-1) by Anna Dhallapiccola

• Shiva - the Ascetic God by Madhuri Guin (the contents of this link cannot be viewed in India)

• Inspired by the South Indian Siddhars Nandhi.com
• Free netcast on Vedic Mythology Weekly netcast with stories about Hindu Gods and Goddesses

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