Shiva's most distinct form is Ardhanarishvara, in which he is worshiped not as the ultimate man, but as a half-woman form of his better half Sati, or Parvati. The form symbolizes the inseparable bond between a male and a female and their interdependence in creating a magical world. The form that represents the synthesis of male (Purusha) and female (Prakriti) energies is the root of all creation, but the origin of Ardhanarishvara is a vast subject with numerous theories.

An enraged Parvati lost her cool and cursed Bhringi to lose all his blood and flesh, and within no time, he quickly turned into a skeleton. The poor sage was unable to stand on his own, and his situation deteriorated into a nightmare. He was a great devotee of Shiva, and thus the Lord couldn't bear his devotee's plight, so he blessed him with a third leg for support. But this decision did not go well with Parvati. Deeply hurt by this, she left Shiva and went into deep penance. Pleased by her efforts, Shiva united her to himself, thus creating the Ardhanarishvara avatar.

This avatar has the male part on the right side, whereas the female part is on the left. However, the physical characteristics vary greatly depending on the Puranas and Vedas. In some writs, the Purusha Roopa has a jata (bun) and a crescent moon on his head, and the feminine side wears a necklace made up of blue lotuses on her neck, holding her hands in the Abhaya mudra. Some other inscriptions also suggest that the right arm (of the man) plays a lute and the left arm holds (of the woman) a lotus.

Let us now look at another legend found in the Shiva Purana. Lord Brahma had almost created the universe. However, he was dissatisfied with human creation as it was not moving at a pace. The creation was stuck at a point, so Brahma pleaded with Shiva to support him. Lord Shiva took on the form of Ardhanarishvara to teach him about the role of females in the continuation of life.

Another story told in the Skandha Purana is of Parvati expressing her desire to stay within Shiva, binding herself to an internal connection with Shiva's soul. As a result, Shiva granted her wish, and the two united to become the Ardhanarishvara.

The form is also symbolic of union, as represented by the Linga Purana, which states that worshipping Ardhanrishvara will dissolute you from the world and unite you with Shiva. It won't be wrong to say that Ardhanarishvara is one of the most popular forms of Shiva. You can encounter its idol worshipped in many temples, although there are not many temples that are completely dedicated to this deity.