Nandisa is the Hindu Fertility God. He is also called as Nandin or Lord Shiva’s pet white Bull God or the Shiva’s right-hand bovine. Nandisa has a fertility connection, being a bull. In anthropomorphic form the Bull God is known as Nandisa. Devotees touch the image of this deity, before making an entry into the temple. A statue of Nandisa is seen standing guarding Lord Shiva, in many Hindu temples.
During the 5th century BCE, the name Nandisa is mentioned in the oldest epic Ramayana in Sanskrit language. Nandisa (the great Lord Shiva – Nandisvara) is challenged by the demon king, Ravana, but things do not come off well. As per the story, Ravana meets a monkey-faced dark dwarf on once certain day while moving through the Sara-vana mountains. Shiva his master was busy in hunting and so the dwarf did not allow Ravana to pass. Ravana in anger shook the mountain and asked who Shiva was.
Goddess Parvati trembled with fear while the disturbed Shiva put his toe on the ground and the mountain fell down on Ravana’s arms. Reeling in pain Ravana cried out Rava after which Shiva named the demon as ‘Ravana’. Hindu mythology states that Ravana kept pleading to Shiva for one thousand years after which he was released from his difficult situation.
Nandisa is mentioned as one of the 18 Maha Rishis in the Matsya Purana as being a Vastu Sastropadesakas which means one who is highly knowledgeable in Vastu and is a perfect teacher in this particular science.
