Siva-And-His-Many-Faces
Veeraswamy Krishnaraj
                 Siva-And-His-Many-Faces Veeraswa
 
                                                                                                             Siva Forms that exhilarate the mind! Om NaMaSiVāYa


                                                                                                                                             முக லிங்கம்
                                                                                                                                      Valaiyappēttai R. Krishnan
                                                                                                                                                    Face-Lingam

Two-faced Lingam has Tatpuruṣa face looking east and Satyōjātham facing west. Called Mantraliṅgam, the Lingayats worship these deities. Two-face Rudrākṣa seed and Tuscan jasmine adorns the face and is worshipped. Selfless donors and ‘devotee-slaves’ worship the two-face Liṅga.
East face Tatpuruṣam, South face (Agōram), and North face (Vāma Dēvam) are the features of Trimukha (three-face) Liṅgam. The East face is virile and majestic, South face portrays anger, North face shines with smile on a woman’s visage. This Tri-Murthy Liṅgam contains within it Brahma with creative fervor, Viṣṇu with maintenance and Rūdra with destructive potential. Chandramoulīsvarar in Tiruvakkarai near Tindivanam has a three-face visage. Of the 12 Jyōtirliṅgas, Triyambakēsvarar presents a graceful appearance. Erode Mahimālīsvarar also has a three-face visage. The three-face god has the largest idol in Elephanta caves. A devotee can attain immeasurable prosperity and wealth, if the person adorns Trimūrthy with three-face Rudrākṣa and trifoliate Bael leaves.
                                                                                                              
Chaturmukha Liṅgam has four faces, facing East, South, West and North. This constellation goes after the four Vedas: Ṛg, Yajūr, Sāmam, Atharvam. There is a four-faced Liṅgam in Kānchi Kacchapēṣvarar Temple near the Natarajar shrine. Tiruvathikai Vīrāttānēṣvarar Temple near Paṇrutti in the south-west corner has four-faced Liṅgam. Tiruvaṇṇāmalai, Tiruvānaikā mountaintop hall near Kālahaṣthi temple have Chaturmukha Liṅgas. This Liṅgam stands tall up to the chest with two hands. The temples harbouring the four-face Liṅgams should have gates in four cardinal directions. The devotees worshipping the four-faced Lord with four-face Rudrākṣa and Four kinds of Bael leaves will obtain Brahma Jñānam and become famous learned man in all eight directions.
Pañchamukha Liṅgam greets the devotee with five faces: four faces in four directions and the fifth face looking north-east. In Viriñcipuram Mārga Sakāya Īṣvarar on the outer circumambulatory path, there is the five-face Liṅgam. Tanjāvūr Rājagōpāla Swami Temple and Tiruchi Panchamukēṣvarar Temple have the five-face idol. Celebrating the 60th birthday/wedding anniversary here is beneficial.
Siva Secret Treatise says that five-face Liṅgam is in the Kailai mountain. The five faces are the source of five swollen Gangās coming down the mountain. In north India, there are temples with five-face Liṅgam. Siva Mahāpurāṅam states this world will be a bewitching place of peace and tranquillity because of pentads: establishing a Maṇḍapam made of five-face Rudrākṣas, performing Abhiṣēkam with Pañchagavyam (cow’s milk, yogurt, clarified butter, urine and dung), Archana with five Bael leaves, serving fives kinds of cooked rice, and extending five kinds of hospitality.
Because 28 Siva Āgamas emerged from five faces, this is named Śivāgamaliṅgam. Some call four-face Liṅgam ‘Pañchamukha Liṅgam.’ The smooth uppermost convex surface of the shaft of Liṅgam is the fifth face.
Śivapirāṉ’s down-looking face is Adhōmukham - the sixth face. The fifth face is looking at the sky, while the sixth face looks at the netherworld. Adhōmukham holds innumerable power. It is not visible to the devotees.  Muruga Perumāṉ emerged from the fiery sparks proceeding from the third eye of the sixth face. The sixth face drank the Halāhala (Sanskrit हलाहल) or kālakūṭa poison that emerged from Milk Ocean. There is a tradition to offer prayers to his blue neck as the sixth face. There is no traditional worship of six-face Liṅgam anywhere. Muruga himself presents as six-face Śiva.
Of the 108 Liṅgams in Tiruvāṉaikā Temple Prākāram, one Liṅgam has the face of Vināyaka and the second one has Murugā’s face. The Liṅgam in the front Mandapam of Kāñchi Ādhipīda Kāmākṣiamman Temple bears the image of Piṭāri (a form of Sakthi). Its name is Sakthi Liṅgam.  Let is obtain Darśan of Sadāśiva Mūrthy.