By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik - Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist
Some of the oldest and most spectacular images of Shiva are found in Elephanta and Ellora, cave temples built by Chalukyas and Rashtrakutas roughly 1,500 years ago, when a new form of Hinduism, based on Puranas and Hindu trinity began overshadowing the old Vedic and Buddhist ways. Amongst these Shiva images, are one of him impaling an asura with his trident. It is one of the rare occasions where Shiva uses his trident in a battle against an asura. This asura is called Andhaka or the asura of darkness. He is also considered a ‘son’ of Shiva.
