Q 01/05

Within the Hindu Trimurti, Shiva is known by which title?

A) The Destroyer

B) The Creator

C) The Preserver

D) The Messenger

Answer · why

A) The Destroyer

The Destroyer is only half the story: Shiva is said to end each cycle of the universe so that it can be created anew, which is why Hindus see his dest...

Q 02/05

What does the Sanskrit name Shiva literally mean?

A) The Auspicious One

B) The Dark One

C) The Silent One

D) The Great Bull

Answer · why

A) The Auspicious One

The Auspicious One began as a compliment: the Rig Veda uses 'shiva', meaning kind or gracious, as an adjective for several gods, and only later did it...

Q 03/05

Who is Shiva's wife?

A) Parvati

B) Lakshmi

C) Saraswati

D) Radha

Answer · why

A) Parvati

Parvati, born a daughter of the mountains, won the ascetic Shiva's affection only after she took up severe austerities of her own.

Q 04/05

Which demon king tried to uproot Shiva's mountain home, only for the god to pin him beneath it with one toe?

A) Mahishasura

B) Ravana

C) Hiranyakashipu

D) Kamsa

Answer · why

B) Ravana

Ravana, the ten-headed king of Lanka, is said to have stayed trapped under the mountain for a thousand years, and sculptors made the scene a favourite...

Q 05/05

Which sacred river flows from Shiva's matted hair?

A) The Yamuna

B) The Ganga

C) The Indus

D) The Godavari

Answer · why

B) The Ganga

The Ganga, the story goes, would have shattered the earth had she fallen straight from heaven, so Shiva caught the river in his matted hair and let he...