Shiva, also known as Mahadeva ("Great God"), is one of the main deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme God within Shaivism. He is one of the five primary forms of God in the Smarta tradition, and "the Destroyer" or "the Transformer" among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. At the highest level, Shiva is regarded limitless, transcendent, unchanging and formless. Shiva is also regarded as the patron god of yoga and arts.
