Iconography
Philosophy
Festivals
kalA (Arts)
Hindu Stories & Literature
100
Made of ash, what are the three horizontal lines Bhagwan Shiv and his bhakts apply adorns on their forehead?
tripund/vibhuti
100
1 of the 4 concepts or purushartha that is aimed for in human life
Dharma, Artha, Kama, or Moksha
100
The dahan, or burning, of an asuri / demoness and the defeat of Hiranyakashyapu by Lord Vishnu taking the avatar of Narasimha are associated with this festival which celebrates the arrival of Spring.
Holi
100
Amongst all of our gods, from which god does all music and dance originate from?
Shiva
100
The four vedas
sama, rig, yajur, atharva
200
Adorned around the Thai palace walls in the story of Ramayana (Ramakien). Which Ramayana character is depicted here?
Hanuman ji
200
Meaning ancient in Sanskrit, these texts describe every topic in life and philosophy. They are central to the Smarta tradition as they are considered Smritis, those which are remembered, and some well-known ones share the names of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.
Puranas
200
The festival of Onam celebrates the return of this entity
Mahabali
200
Which muni gave the framework for classical theater, dance, and music?
Bharatamuni
200
Name any one female Hindu scholar that is mentioned in the vedas
Gargi, Maitreyi, Apala, Lopamudra, Vishvavara etc.
300
What sacred symbol (also shared heavily with Buddhism) refers to cycles (of time, planets, life, etc)
Kalachakra
300
the name of the philosophy adishankaracharya preached
Advaita
300
1 form of Mata Durga that is worshiped during Navratri
Shailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandamata, Katyayani, Kalaratri, Mahagauri, Siddhidatri
300
The Mardala is a drum used in the classical music style that is performed during seva of Lord Jagannatha, and it is native to this coastal Indian state.
Odissa
300
Kakawin are long narrative poems in Old Javanese that describe Hindu events and stories happening against the backdrop of local kingdoms and islands. One of the most popular characters in these stories is this Pandava brother who defeated Bhishma.
Arjuna
400
This deity is often depicted dressed as a warrior and with his vahana as the peacock.
Karthikeya
400
Name any 2 of the 6 “aastik” darshanas
Samkhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mimamsa, and Vedanta(uttara mimamsa)
400
Makar Sankranti marks the day of the transition of the sun from the southern hemisphere to the northern hemisphere. The festival is celebrated by many different names and through many different rituals: Name any 4 alternate names of this festival.
Pongal (Tamil), Bihu (Assam), Khichdi (Bihar, UP), Uttarayan (Northern Bharat, Gujrat), Suggi (Kannada), Maghi (Punjab: Lohri is also fine), Poush Sankranti (Bengal), etc…
400
The navarasas (list at least 3) -
shringara, karuna, veera, bhayanaka, bhibhatsa, roudra, hasya, adbhutha, shanta
400
Which highly regarded Gupta era Sanskrit poet wrote the Abhinjanashakuntalam and other famous works?
Kalidasa
500
Who is this painting depicting, and where is it from
rama sita, bali
500
A “naastik” tradition is one which rejects the necessity of atleast one of out of the vedas, the aatman (or self), and ishwar. There is one very popular “naastik” tradition in Bharatiya/Hindu philosophy which holds materialism above all else. What is its name?
Chaarvak
500
What do ratha saptami and vasant panchami celebrate?
ratha saptami celebrates the beginning of spring season as Lord Surya starts his journey towards the north and marks the beginning of harvest season. Vasant panchami is in honor of the Hindu goddess Saraswati, is a festival that marks the preparation for the arrival of spring.
500
What is the architecture style of the Rama janma bhumi Ayodhya Mandir?
Nagara Style
500
The Ramayan has been written in perhaps every widely spoken language in the world. Who wrote the Ramayan in Tamil?
The Ramayan is called the Kamba Ramayan: it was written by Kambar