Inspiring work on conceptual Lord Shiva tattoos by Aliens
Think about religious tattoos and Lord Shiva is perhaps the first thing that clicks. What else could rival his persona! Mahadev Tattoos have taken over the rage in the genre of religious tattoos. It’s been ages since this trend is ongoing and 2022 is no different. Surprisingly, the flair for Lord Shiva tattoo doesn’t just limit to Men. Women also find them pretty appealing and get their own versions of Shiva Tattoo.
Each
Shiva tattoo is a piece of art and inspiration in itself
Client Tattoo Stories
Why do people get tattoos
Does "Shaivism" play an important role in people's lives? Lord Shiva is the representation of the "Great God" or "Mahadeva". He is one of the Hindu Trinity – Bramha, Vishnu, and Mahesh. Shiva is known as the destroyer of evil. The nature of destruction is cyclic in nature as it leads to recreation and then follows the same path time and again. There is a striking contrast in Shiva's personalities and various avatars. The "Mahakaal" destroys everything and "Shankara" reproduces the same into something new. Lord Shiva is believed to be a unique symbol of masculine and feminine energies as the "Ardhanareshwara" avatar. There is a significant mention of this, as Shiva is said to be inseparable from Shakti – "Parvati". People find strong-rooted emotions in their life with this symbolism and the philosophy of "Shaivism".
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The connection of Shiva and meditation invokes interest in a permanent recall factor. There are many depictions that signify various aspects of Lord Shiva. Also, when these are attached to a client's personal experiences, it results in mesmerizing and memorable tattoos. From mantras to poses, Ardhanareshwar to Shiva-Kali tattoos, there is a wide variety that appeals to our clients.
Aghori Shiva Tattoos
Aghorism is a symbol of primitiveness and freedom from illusion. Aghoris are ascetics who are no longer interested in worldly bonds. It denotes that outer beauty is temporary and inner beauty is immortal. The Aghori Shiva depicts purity, and facing south marks the destructive and regenerative element of Lord Shiva. The avatar when Lord Shiva became a wanderer and abandoned the samsara is an astonishing imagery of an Aghori sadhu. This angry Lord Shiva tattoo touches clients with a spiritual inclination.
Angry/
Aggressive
Shiva Tattoos
Lord Shiva is mostly seen in two contrasting forms. One is when he is at peace while meditating, and the other is when he is furious, as seen during his Tandav Nritya, a dance form of Lord Shiva that brings out his ferocious side to destroy evil. It is always believed and mentioned in some mythological writings that when Shiva opened his third eye, it was when he was ultimately furious, and anything or anyone that came in his sight was burned down and destroyed.
Small Shiva Tattoos
Small Shiva tattoo concepts include many ideas such as mantras in minimal scripts, attributes of Shiva, elements of him, and so on. People usually choose smaller concepts when they want something minimal that is for them rather than the world to see. Smaller tattoos are also a good idea when you are about to get your first tattoo and want to mark your devotion through a Shiva tattoo.
Mrityunjaya Mantra Tattoo
This tattoo is popular among clients who seek peace and eternal solitude. It invokes a feeling of serenity in the client as it is said to conquer death. It comprises three Sanskrit words – "Maha" meaning great, "Mrityun" meaning death, and "Jaya" meaning victory over death. It is said that it helps maintain better mental, emotional, and physical health and gives longevity and immortality. These benefits attract many clients to get this Shiva tattoo that has a strong meaning. The Mrityunjaya Mantra tattoo can be inked in various creative styles, using calligraphy and trash style, and can be coupled with Lord Shiva and other elements to provide an appealing look.
Conceptual Shiva Tattoos
Since conceptual tattoos are based heavily on a unique concept of an individual and not the general meaning of the subject, conceptual Lord Shiva tattoos are also based on our clients' concepts around their beliefs or something that is important to them, such as their religion or a significant event in their life. Many conceptual Lord Shiva tattoos are inspired by the amalgamation of modern art and approach with the deeper meaning still intact.
What could rival Lord Shiva’s persona and power. His aura has attracted millions of people from around the world. Getting a tattoo done of Lord Shiva is a matter of great pride in India. Imagine having a beautiful piece of art that symbolised something so powerful and unworldly. At Aliens Tattoos, we have taken our clients’ emotions into consideration and have come with some brilliant Lord Shiva tattoos along the way. At our studio, we do quite a few religious pieces but each Lord Shiva tattoo design signifies him in a different light and brings out a unique attribute of his persona.
Here are some of our best Lord Shiva tattoos that have embellished memories for our clients. Something that they carry with pride and flaunt their faith in Lord Shiva with beautiful designs. These designs were customized to suit the client’s demands. These interesting stories are about people who’ve travelled specially to get the tattoos.
Custom Tattoo Ideas
Lord Shiva Avatar Tattoos
Nataraja Pose
The Nataraja pose of Lord Shiva depicts the dancing pose. It literally translates into the King Of Dance. This tattoo has fascinated a lot of our clients and depicts an insane combination towards the male-female unity and abolition of fear. Lord Shiva is also a symbol of music and dance, along with knowledge in contrast to his destructive abilities.
The Meditative Pose
The meditative pose of Lord Shiva commands serenity. The seekers of truth and those who are involved in meditation connect deeply with tattoo. Several different interpretations are possible with this tattoo. Some say, it opens up another dimension in the person’s life, but it might be just another mystery like those connected with Lord Shiva. It can be coupled with beautiful dot-work and mandala art to create fascinating tattoo designs.
Ardhanareshwar
This avatar of Lord Shiva is the combination of masculine and feminine energies. It has a profound meaning as it depicts the attached energies that need to act in harmony to maintain balance. The ultimate depiction of duality and stability, this tattoo symbolizes procreation. It’s a rage for clients who are looking for a realistic tattoo and they’re never disheartened.
Aghori Shiva
Aghorism is the symbol of primitiveness, freedom from illusion. They are ascetics who are no more interested in the worldly bonds. It denotes that outer beauty is temporary and inner beauty is immortal. The Aghori Shiva depicts purity and as he faces south it marks the destructive and regenerative element of Lord Shiva. The avatar when Lord Shiva became a wanderer, and abandoned the samsara is an astonishing imagery as an Aghori sadhu. This angry Lord Shiva Tattoo touches clients with a spiritual inclination.
Symbolic Lord Shiva Tattoos
The Trishul
The holy trident is considered to be the primary weapon of Lord Shiva. It is said to have the powers of the Hindu holy trinity, Brahma, Vishnu and Lord Shiva himself. The three blades also signify the three gunas – ‘Rajas, Tamas, and Sattva’ as well as ‘Swarga, Bhumi, and Pataal’. He uses it to destroy evil. Clients have a strong inclination towards the ‘Trishul’ as it gives them a strong emotion with a sense of protection.
The Meditative Pose
Om, a simple looking symbol, packs in a whole lot of meaning with roots in many religions and spiritual spaces around the world. It is considered the very first sound of the universe. It's all-encompassing - the whole universe joined into a single sound. Om tattoo represents the union of the mind, body, and the spirit.
The Damaru
Damaru is the sacred musical instrument held by Lord Shiva. The sound from Damaru symbolizes the sound that originates creation and perpetuates the universe. It is believed that the beating of the Damaru by Shiva produced the very first sound (nada). This first sound was made in the void of nothingness. Shiva began his dance of creation to the rhythm of the Damaru. From his dance, the world came into being. There is also a symbolism regarding the shape of the Damaru – the top portion of the Damaru symbolizes the male creativity of procreation (the Lingam), and the downward representation symbolizes the female creativity of procreation (the Yoni). Symbolically, the creation of the world begins when the lingam and yoni meet at the mid-point of the Damaru, and the destruction takes place when both separate from each other. As a tattoo concept, Damaru is always paired up with the trishul to symbolize destruction of evil and recreation of the world.
The Third Eye
Lord Shiva is said to have a third eye, which, if opened, has the potential to destroy the whole world. It is said that with the third eye, Lord Shiva is able to see all that exists in the past, present and the future. A legend suggests that when the world was consumed with darkness, Shiva opened ‘The Third Eye’ and gave out light and energy to the whole world! The Third Eye tattoo invokes a lot of enthusiasm with its strong significance of that which is unseen yet always present.
The Third Eye
From time immemorial, Rudraksha is known to be one of the most precious beads, owing to its divine healing powers. It is said that only those who have the blessings of lord Shiva get the opportunity to wear it. The meaning of the word "Rudraksha" is the eyes of Rudra (Shiva) and his tears (Aksha). The rudraksha is often paired with the trishul and the damaru to cover all the elements of Lord Shiva.
Lord Shiva Mantra Tattoos
Maha-Mrityunjaya Mantra
This tattoo is a rage amongst clients who look for peace and eternal solitude. It invokes a feeling of serenity to the client as it is said to conquer death. It comprises of three Sanskrit words – ‘Maha’ meaning great, ‘Mrityun’ meaning death and ‘Jaya’ meaning victory over death. It is said that it helps keep a better mental, emotional and physical health, it also gives longevity and immortality. These benefits attract many clients to get this Shiva Tattoo that signifies a strong meaning. The Mrityunjaya Mantra Tattoo can be inked in various creative styles, using calligraphy, trash style, and can be coupled with Lord Shiva and other elements to provide an appealing look.
Om Namah Shivaya
This tattoo is a simple mantra put in a creatively striking way. It means – adoration to Lord Shiva or I bow down to the auspicious one. This mantra is chanted by all the sages and devotees of Lord Shiva to pay homage to the supreme God and creates a stunning look as a tattoo. It demands a significant interest in people who want to keep things simple but meaningful.
Lord Shiva tattoos symbolising Duality
'Shiva-Kali'
The combination of Lord Shiva and Goddess Kali is a depiction of rage and anger which is a mesmerising imagery of how one overpowers the other, but yet they are in sync. Such tattoo concepts spark a light in the eye of clients with its staggering look and insightful symbolism. The staggering power of beauty along with destruction in these tattoos is an amazing sight.
'Shiva-Parvati'
The depiction of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati is an amazing combo of love and duality. This concept is attractive to many clients and connects with emotions of love. The ones who follow Shaivism hold this duo in high regard. This eternal tattoo design is in high demand when it comes to the youth as well as the elderly.
'Shiva-Sati'
The depiction of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati is an amazing combo of love and duality. This concept is attractive to many clients and connects with emotions of love. The ones who follow Shaivism hold this duo in high regard. This eternal tattoo design is in high demand when it comes to the youth as well as the elderly.
Here are Some interesting Shiva Tattoo design ideas for you!
Lord Shiva Nataraja Tattoo
Trance of Shiva Nataraja Tattoo by Sunny Bhanushali at Aliens Tattoo India. This is undoubtedly one of the best and the most beautiful concept-art tattoo based on Lord Shiva-Nataraja theme made by Sunny.
You can feel the divine calmness and blissful state of Shiva flowing through this tattoo! This tattoo depicts the Nataraja form of Lord Shiva, a cosmic ecstatic dancer, being the source of all the movement in this universe which releases souls of living things from the snare illusion (Maya).
Nicholas, an amazing soul, travelled all the way from California to get this tattoo from Sunny. The aura with which this man walks is just incredible. When he saw this design he just loved it to the core. He extended his stay by a week so that we could finish this tattoo. This tattoo took 3 days to complete, day 1, Sunny designed it and the next 2 days for finishing the tattoo.
Aghorian Mystery Tattoo
The Aghorian Mystery Tattoo by Allan Gois at Goa Tattoo Festival, India.
The world of Aghoris is undoubtedly so mysterious. The myths that come along are even more interesting. But people hardly know anything about their rituals and practices and where it all started.
Aghoris are driven by one simple belief that God exists in everything and thus, nothing in the world is impure. Each of their practices indicate the rules recited by the universe even though they seem extreme. Aghoris believe in true human form, so, are bathed in ashes and no cloth most of the times. Many other practices like this, though considered to be horrifying by us mortals, are sacred to them because of their belief in being real and pure. They are devotees of Lord Shiva and believe in Shaivism.
Check this exorbitant Aghori Tattoo by Allan Gois at Aliens Tattoo India. This particular Aghori Tattoo is really unique because it speaks about a Lady Aghori. The tattoo portrays the control of the Aghori over all five elements of nature though Sadhana.
Exciting enough?
Gopisvara Lord Shiva Tattoo
Lord Shiva in Vrindavan (Gopisvara Mahadev) tattoo by Sunny Bhanushali at Aliens Tattoo India. The client is a hearty follower of Hindu mythology, specially Lord Krishna and Lord Shiva. He devotes one month every year to the study Bhagavat Gita at Vrindavan, India. He believes his life has transformed spiritually and physically. So this time he wished to have the tattoo of Gopisvara Mahadev, it is one of the 3 rudras of Lord Shiva.
There is a very beautiful story about Gopisvara Mahadev and that is what this tattoo portrays.
The client liked our work on double exposure tattoos and Lord Shiva conceptual tattoos so he was keen on this style for his tattoo. Sameer, our magic illustrator created this amazing concept which portrays the whole story of Gopisvara Mahadev. Sameer is a rockstar at aliens, when it comes to creating illustrations!
When it was time for inking the tattoo, Sunny left no stone unturned to deliver the hyper-realistic portrait tattoo within a long, single, 16-hour session. Isn’t it fabulous?
Lord Shiva-Kali Tattoo
Lord Shiva-Kali Tattoo by Sunny Bhanushali at Aliens tattoo India. Again, this is some rad work by Sunny. The client is from Sweden, follower of Shaivism wished to get a Lord Shiva and Goddess Kali Tattoo on his forearm as a souvenir from India. He was so inspired by Sunny’s work on Hindu religious and mythological tattoos that he decided no tattoo artist would be apt for this work but Sunny.
However, behind this beautiful design lies the hidden artistry of our young magic-man, Sameer. Sameer took almost a week to come up with this amazing tattoo design. This design is a well-planned illustration, the metamorphosis from state of calmness of Lord Shiva to divine rage of Goddess Kali is just flawless. The red drifting strokes beautifully usurp this fusion of states. It is sheer pleasure to keep looking at this tattoo isn’t it?
Sameer has used a few references to build this design - Lord Shiva is the statue of Adi Yogi located at Booluvampatti, India, and the Goddess Kali is derived from the album art for Dan Simmons’ song of Kali. We are immensely gratified to share these amazing art and the artists behind it. Powerful tattoo, yeah?
