Lord Shiva Avatars Names & Lesser Known Facts About Them!

A basic thing about Mahadev that everyone knows is that he is the God of destruction. Right? But do you know that he has saved the world from being destroyed many times? Well, he takes care of the matters which go beyond the hands of other Gods. So, to resolve these he takes his avatar and saves the day. Hence, today, we will see these avatars of Shiva with their names. Also, you will read some lesser-known facts about them. Let us start!

Lord Shiva Avatars Names

Shiv ji has 19 Avatars whose names are mentioned in the Shiv Purana. 

Piplaad

The Piplaad avatar of Shiv ji was born to Rishi Dadhichi and his wife Suvarcha. But his father died before he was born. Meanwhile, his mother also left him after giving birth to him. So, he was raised by his aunt Dahimati. When he grew up, he came to know that his father died due to the drishti of Shani dev. So, he cursed Shani that he would fall to the ground and lose his strength as a planet. After this, all the Gods came to rescue Shani and requested Piplaad to forgive him. Finally, he agreed and replaced the curse with a condition. As per this, Shani will never affect children below 16 years of age. 

Nandi

You might be confused as to why Nandi's name is added to the list of Lord Shiva avatars. Well, here is a story. Once, a great Rishi Shilada performed tapasya of Shiva Ji. Pleased by his tapasya, Shiv Ji asked for his wish. So, he asked for an immortal child who would live forever. Hence, Shiv Ji took the form of a bull as his son. Today, we worship this bull as Nandi. In his original form, he has four hands. Two of his hands are joined in respect. The other two hands hold an axe and an antelope. Furthermore, he is Shiva's biggest devotee and the gatekeeper of his home, Kailash. 

Veerabhadra

Veerabhada was born out of the anger of Shiv Ji when Devi Sati sacrificed herself in the fire of Daksha's Yagya. Prajapati Daksha is the father of Devi Sati. Once, he organized a huge Yagya in which he invited all the Gods. But he did not invite Shiv Ji. When Sati asked her father why he did not invite her husband, he started insulting Shiv Ji. So, she sacrificed herself in the fire. Seeing this, Shiv Ji went into a rage. He plucked his matted hair (Jata), and Veerabhadra and Bhadra Kaali were born from this. Veerabhadra then sliced Daksha's head and caused a lot of chaos. 

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Bhairava

Likewise, Veerbhadra, Bhairava, or Kaal Bhairava is a fierce avatar of Shiv Ji. Bhairava was also born out of Shiv Ji's anger when Brahma lied to him. So, in this avatar, Shiv Ji sliced the fifth head of Brahma because he was becoming arrogant. Therefore, he became a god who punishes arrogant and greedy people. However, Brahmhatya is a big sin. So, Shiv Ji had to wander for 12 years as a bhikshu with that skull in his hand. Apart from this, Bhairava is tasked to guard the 52 Shakti Peethas in India. 

Ashwatthama

A legendary warrior from Dwapar Yuga, Ashwatthama is one of the most powerful Shiv Ji avatars. Although, he is not a physical manifestation of Shiv Ji. He is the son of Guru Dronacharya and Kripi. Guru Drona did immense tapasya, which pleased Shiv Ji. So, he asked him what he wanted. Drona wished for a child as powerful as Shiva. Then Shiv Ji was born to him as Ashwatthama with a Mani (Gem) on his forehead. But after the Kurukshetra war, Shree Krishna took his Mani and cursed him to be immortal and suffer for eternity. This curse made him a Chiranjivi, and now he is waiting for the Kalki avatar to be born. 

Sharabha

Sharabha is a lesser-known avatar of Shiv Ji. Shiv Ji took this avatar to stop Narasimha, an avatar of Bhagavan Vishnu. After killing Hiranyakashipu, Narasimha went on a rampage. Thus, he became a threat to the entire universe. To protect the universe, Shiv Ji took this avatar. It has a head of a lion, thousand arms, eight legs, wings, and matted hair. He went into a great war with Narasimha. Eventually, he took him high in the sky and threw him on the ground, due to which he became unconscious. Apart from this, Sharabha is mostly worshipped in South India. It is believed that worshipping him brings good luck. 

Grihapati

Grihapati, son of Rishi Vishwanar and Shuchismati, is also known as the "Lord of directions." He was born after Shiv Ji was pleased with the devotion and tapasya of his father, Vishwanar. However, he was short-lived because he was affected by the malefic planets. So, he went to Kashi and indulged in the immense tapasya of Shiva to save his life. Meanwhile, Indra Dev attempted to kill him, but Shiv Ji saved him. He also blessed him with a boon so he could not be harmed by Kaalvajra. 

Durvasa

Durvasa is a great sage. He was born to Rishi Atri and his wife, Anusuya. Shiv Ji was born as Durvasa to ensure discipline among humans and Devatas. Also, both humans and Devatas were afraid of his short temper. 

Hanuman

The 11th Rudra avatar and a great devotee of Shree Ram, Hanuman is also an avatar of Shiv Ji. He was born to Mata Anjana and the Vannar Chief Kesari. Worshipping Hanuman Ji protects you from ghosts and spirits. Also, it gives you strength and freedom from sickness. 

Vrishabha Avatar

During the Samudra Manthan, Bhagavan Vishnu created an illusion of beautiful women to distract the Asuras. Then, they took these women to Patal Lok. Meanwhile, Bhagavan Vishnu went to destroy them. But he got caught in the illusion himself and fathered many evil Asura children who troubled the Gods. To stop this, Shiv Ji took the form of Vrishabha, a bull, and killed all the corrupt children of Bhagavan Vishnu. However, Bhagavan Vishnu also started to fight him, but then he realized that it was Shiv Ji. So, he stopped fighting and returned to his abode.

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Yatinath Avatar

Once, Shiv Ji took Avatar as Yatinath to visit a tribal couple, Aahuk and his wife, who were his great devotees. However, their small home did not have enough space to adjust to Yatinath. So, Aahuk slept outside, but unfortunately, he was killed by a wild animal while he was sleeping. Hence, his wife decided to end her life too, but Yatinath blessed her that they would be born again as Nala and Damyanti in their next life.

Krishna Darshan Avatar

The Krishna Darshan Avatar of Lord Shiva highlights the importance of rituals and yagya. Prince Nabhag was denied his share of the kingdom by his brothers. His father advised him to help Rishi Angiras perform a Yagya. After the Yagya, the Rishi Angiras were pleased by the prince and decided to give Nabhag all his wealth. But Krishna Darshan Avatar stopped him. He taught Nabhag the value of spiritual salvation and blessed him.

Bhikshuvarya Avatar

While some Avatars of Shiv Ji had a purpose to destroy, Bhikshuvarya was destined to protect. The Bhikshuvarya Avatar of Shiv Ji protected humans from danger. After King Sathyartha died in battle and his wife was killed by a crocodile, their baby was left alone in the forest. Shiv Ji, as Bhikshuvarya, saved the child and handed him to a poor woman who raised him. The child grew up and avenged the death of his parents and reclaimed his kingdom.

Sureshwar Avatar

Once Shiv Ji and Mata Parvati visited Upamanyu, son of Sage Vyaghrapaad. Shiv Ji was in his Sureshwar avatar but he was disguised as Indra. Whereas Mata Parvati was disguised as Indrani. They tested his devotion by asking him to stop worshipping Shiva. Upamanyu refused, even after being cursed. Impressed by his dedication, Shiv Ji and Mata Parvati promised to stay near Upamanyu's abode forever.

Kirateshwar Avatar

When the Pandavas were in exile, each of them was engaged in tapasya to obtain divine weapons from god. So that they can use it in the war against the Kauravas. However, in the Kirateshwar Avatar, Shiv Ji appears as a hunter while Arjuna is trying to kill a demon disguised as a boar. Both Arjuna and the hunter struck the boar at the same time, leading to a duel. Moreover, Shiv Ji was impressed by Arjuna's courage, revealing his true form. Then Shiv Ji granted Arjuna the powerful Pashupati Astra.

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Suntantarka Avatar

In the Suntantarka Avatar, Shiv Ji took the form of a dancer to ask King Himalaya for Devi Parvati’s hand in marriage. He performed in the king’s court and delighted everyone with his dance. After this, when King Himalaya asked what reward he wanted, Shiva Ji revealed his true form. Then, he requested Devi Parvati’s hand for marriage. After recognizing Shiv Ji, King Himalaya agreed to this marriage.

Brahmachari Avatar

In this avatar, Lord Shiva tested Goddess Parvati's determination to marry him. Shiv Ji took the form of a Brahmachari and he asked why Parvati is doing penance for Shiva. Then he started ill talking about Shiv Ji. Hearing this Parvati became angry. Meanwhile, her determination and devotion, impressed Shiv Ji. Finally, he reveals himself, pleasing Parvati.

Yaksheshwar Avatar

Once the Devatas became arrogant of their powers after defeating Asuras in a battle. So, Shiv Ji thought to teach them a lesson. Therefore, he takes the Yaksheshwar avatar to humble them. In this form, he went to the Devatas and presented a piece of grass. He asked the Devatas to cut it. However, no one of the Devatas could cut the grass. Later, they realized that their pride was misplaced. This is how Shiv Ji’s action taught Devatas a lesson of humility, and the avatar became known as Yaksheshwar.

Avadhut Avatar

Once, Shiv Ji transformed into a sage named Avadhut to teach Indra Dev a lesson about humility. When Indra and the other gods asked Avadhut to move from their path, he did not move. Even Indra Dev could not move him despite using all of his powers. This experience humbled Lord Indra, and it was then that Lord Shiva revealed his true form.

Conclusion

In the end, these are the 19 Avatars of Shiv Ji with their names and story. These stories of these avatars of Shiv Ji show that he has saved the world whenever needed. Also, to maintain discipline among the gods he taught them lessons by taking forms like Yaksheshwar and Avadhut. Moreover, it is very easy to please Shiva. If you approach him with a pure heart and care, he will surely bless you. Not only this, he will protect you from various negativity and Grah Doshas.

Har Har Mahadev. 

FAQs 

Q1. What are the names of 11 avatars of Lord Shiva? 

Ans. The names of the 11 Lord Shiva avatars are Kapali, Pingala, Bhima, Virupaksha, Vilohita, Ajesha, Shasana, Shasta, Shambhu, Chanda, and Dhruva. 

Q2. What is the name of the strongest avatar of Lord Shiva? 

Ans. According to Shiv Purana, the Sharabha Avatar of Lord Shiva is the strongest among other Lord Shiva avatars. 

Q3. What are the five faces of Lord Shiva? 

Ans. The five faces of Lord Shiva represent his different forms: Sadyojata, Vamadeva, Aghora, Tatpurusha, and Ishana.