Nandi
Some Puranas describe Nandi or Nandikeshvara as bull-faced, with a human body that resembles that of Shiva in proportion and aspect.
↻ synthesized from 8 sources
When
- First attested
- 300 BCE
- Attested period
- -300 – 2020
- Historical notes
- Puranic period.
Relationships
- co occurs with
- Narasimha, Ox-Head, Penghou, Pratyangira, Set, Tikbalang, Tumburu, Varaha, Zhu Bajie, Goddess, Ardhanarishvara, Kārtikeya, Hamsa, Dinka, Parvani, Shani's vahana, Nataraja, Balambika, Jatukasura, Chandraghanta, Parvati, Gajasura, Minotaur, Anubis, Cynocephalus, Bastet, Daksha, Hayagriva, Horse-Face, Keibu Keioiba, Khnum, Maahes, Pakhet, Sekhmet, Tefnut, Ganga, Ganesha, Vishnu
- serves
- Shailaputri, Śiva, Shiva
- allied with
- Śiva, Karkodga, Lord Vinayaka
- manifested by
- Nandikeshvara
Mentioned by
- Minotaur
- Anubis
- Cynocephalus
- Bastet
- Daksha
- Hayagriva
- Horse-Face
- Keibu Keioiba
- Khnum
- Maahes
- Pakhet
- Sekhmet
- Tefnut
- Ganga
- Ganesha
- Vishnu
and 1 more
Sources
Source passages
“Nandi – Some Puranas describe Nandi or Nandikeshvara as bull-faced, with a human body that resembles that of Shiva in proportion and aspect.”
#4719 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001
“She rides on the mount Nandi, the bull.”
#18937 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001
“Though the canons often depict the Nandi bull as the common vahana (mount) of Ardhanarishvara, some depictions have Shiva's bull vahana seated or standing near or behind his foot, while the goddess's lion vahana is near her foot.”
#22242 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001
“His mount is the bull called Nandi.”
#22338 · extracted by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5
“Before becoming the vehicle of Shiva, Nandi was a deity called Nandikeshvara, lord of joy and master of music and dance. Then, without warning, his name and his functions were transferred to the aspect of Shiva known as the deity Nataraja. From half-man, half-bull, he became simply a bull”
#22511 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001