Ardh Narishvar : The Half Male, Half Female God

Lord Shiva is also called Ardh Narishwar. The Indian mythology and Hindu religion believe that the God is all powerful, infinite, with all forms and formless,  neither a male nor female and also a male as well as female. Thats why He is also depicted in a half male half female body form and is called Ardh Narishwar.

There is puranic story behind this.

Sage Bringi was an ardent devotees of Lord shiva. He used to worship only Lord shiva and not shakti. Goddess shakti, being the power as the name indicates, was very angree because of this so she pulled out all the energy from Bhringi maharishi's body. Now he lost his energy and was even unable to stand to pray to the Lord.  He pleaded to the Lord to grant him a stick so that with it's support, he could stand and still worship Lord shiva alone. Lord Shiva granted the maharishi a stick to help him stand and pray. On seeing this, Goddess shakti wished to become an inseparable part of Lord shiva's form and to attain this,  she  oberved a Manavrata, penance and austerity. Pleased with her penance &  austerity, Lord shiva granted her the boon of being part of His form. So the Lord now appeared male on the right side and female on the left side and hence became Ardh NarIshvar.

This is one of the very important form of God, Hindus worship. Hindus do not say that the God is only male. God is male - female and neuter too ! Since God is conceptually beyond sex, though gets referred as He/She many times.

 Shiva and shakti are one and the same Supreme form of Lord. From the Shiva and Its power Shakti spring everything; the suns, moons and the entire universe, This is the integral form of tgetherness of Shiva & Shakti constantly at work in creation. They are one and the same like the ice and the water - one becomes the other. For this reason scriptures describe that shakti to shiva is a wife (they are together). Being the one and together, from Shiva comes the Shakti and from Shakti comes the Shiva and so the creation.