Was Shiva a historical figure /a physical entity ?

Question

Or is it Symbolic & used to represent something?

Answer 1

SHIVA IS A SPIRITUAL FIGURE.

I find you like short answers however -
IF INTERESTED READ MORE ABOUT SHIVA.-
SHIVA is one of the principal Hindu deities, worshiped as the destroyer and restorer of worlds and in numerous other forms. Shiva is often conceived as a member of the triad also including Brahma and Vishnu.

Major deity of Hinduism, believed to have many manifestations. Like Vishnu, he is the subject of an elaborate and sometimes contradictory mythology. He is both the destroyer and the restorer, the great ascetic and the symbol of sensuality, the benevolent herdsman of souls and the wrathful avenger. His female consort is known under various manifestations, including Parvati, Durga, and Kali. In Shaivism he is worshiped as the paramount lord.

He is the formless, timeless and spaceless Supreme God in Shaivism. Adi Sankara interprets the name Shiva meaning "One who purifies everyone by the utterance of His name" or "the Pure One". The name Shiva is the Holiest of Holy names. The Good Lord is beyond and unaffected by the three gunas (characteristics) of Prakrti (matter/nature) namely Satva, Rajas, and Tamas.

In Smarta traditions, Lord Shiva exists as one of three aspects of God, Trimurti. In the Trimurti, Rudra, another name for Shiva, is the Destroyer, and Brahma is the Creator and Vishnu is the Preserver. Shiva, in Shaivism, does everything; He is the Creator, Sustainer and Dissolver. All other Hindu Gods and Goddess are part of the One Lord Shiva. According to Shaivism, the Good Lord Shiva performs five functions: 1. Creator, 2. Preserver, 3. Destroyer of evil, 4. Reprieving us from the sins, and most importantly, 5. Blessing.

A Shaivite view contends that Shiva produces Vishnu who produces Brahma and thus creation began, within which the cycle of the Trimurti exists. Shiva also assumes many other roles, including the Lord of Ascetics (Mahadeva, or the Great God), the Lord of Boons (Rudra, or The Howler - rud-iti rudra), and also the Universal Divinity (Maheshvara, the Great Lord).Shaivaites, the worshippers of Shiva consider Shiva as the Ultimate Reality (see Ishta-Deva for fuller discussion).

Shiva is usually represented by the Shiva linga (or lingam), usually depicted as a clay mound with three horizontal stripes on it, or visualised as a blazing pillar. In anthropomorphised images, he is generally represented as immersed in deep meditation on Mount Kailash, his traditional abode.

Lord Shiva is the Good Lord and the Greatest God (Mahadeva) and God of Gods (Devadideva). He is mysterious and complex. He is the formless, timeless and spaceless Supreme God, but also the Lord of the Universe (Vishweshwara) and Supreme Lord (Parameshwara), Supreme Lord of Time (Mahakala) and Lord of Everything (Sarveshwara). There is nothing but him (Sarvavyapi). He is above everything(ParaShiva). He is beyond description, beyond all manifestation, beyond limitation of form, time and space. He is eternal, infinite, all pervading, all knowing and all powerful.-

Answer 2

Shiva is a spiritiual entity.

He happens to be the one of the 3 main gods of Hinduism apart from Lord Vishnu and Brahma.

Answer 3

I THINK HISTORICAL FIGURE