Nandi: Lord Shiva’s sacred bull who was cursed by Parvati

If you’ve visited temples, you would have seen that a large white bull sits facing Lord Shiva or the lingam (an object that represents Lord Shiva). His name is Nandi, the sacred bull of Hindu god, Shiva. In Sanskrit, the name Nandi signifies ‘one who brings joy and satisfaction’. He is also known as Nandi Deva or Nandikeshvara.  

This sacred bull, who happens to be Lord Shiva’s vehicle or vahana, is also one of the chief Shiva Ganas, the Lord's celestial attendants. According to Hindu mythology, Nand is also the one entrusted with the duty of protecting Kailash, Shiva's mountainous dwelling.  
 
Since the sacred bull is the vehicle and gatekeeper of Lord Shiva, he is housed in his temples as a statue. Usually, you will see him seated with folded limbs. He wears a necklace with a bell and is either black or white in colour. The majority of depictions show him carrying Lord Shiva on his mount.  Flowers, a crown, and garlands embellish his beautiful attire and jewels. We bring to you the birth story of Nandi, and the legend about Goddess Parvati’s curse to him.   

The birth story of Nandi 
Nandi is not your ordinary bull. So, how can his birth be commonplace? Let’s share the story with you. According to Vedic texts, Nandi was born as a result of sage Shilada’s desire to have an immortal child. Well, the wise sage underwent numerous austerities, prayers, and penances in order to have such a child. When Lord Indra, the King of Gods, appeared in front of him and claimed that he would grant Shilada's wish, the sage replied that he was looking for an immortal and powerful child whose brilliance would be legendary. Upon such request, Lord Indra told sage Shilada to pray to Lord Shiva for his wish to be fulfilled.  

Shilada worshiped Lord Shiva with great devotion and performed a yajna (a holy fire ceremony). Pleased with his dedication, the Lord blessed him with a divine child who emerged from the fire of the yajna. 

Goddess Parvati cursed Nandi, but why? 
If we go by popular legends, she did. This is how it happened. Once, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati were playing a game dice at Mount Kailash. Guess who the umpire was? None other than Nandi. Even though the goddess won the game, he declared Lord Shiva as the winner. This enraged Goddess Parvati who cursed him. Nandi requested that the curse be lifted, claiming that his actions were motivated by his love for the Lord. She then said that Nandi could be released of the curse if he worshiped her son, Lord Ganesha on his birthday. On Chaturdashi, in the holy Hindu month of Bhadrapada, Nandi worshipped Lord Ganesha and offered him green grass as penance. Since then, most devotees keep green grass as an offering to Lord Ganesha on Ganesh Chaturthi every year.