The image of Lord Shiva has over the centuries been romanticized by historians and devotees alike. A body smeared with ash, a tiger skin encircling his loins, a crescent moon adorning his forehead, matted hair piled high on his head from whence flows the celestial river Ganga, one hand bearing a trident, another set in a classical mudra, sometimes playing the dumroo as he is consumed in the cosmic dance, the third eye between the brows accentuating his bold handsomeness, snakes encircling his azure neck.