Backstory / Origins
What is the name of Shiva's elephant-headed son?
The name of Shiva's elephant-headed son is Ganesh.
How many arms does Shiva have?
Four.
What phallic symbol is Shiva depicted as?
The lingam.
What is the name of the Hindu cult that worships Shiva?
Shaivism.
How old is Nandi?
16 years old.
What is the name of Shiva's bull?
The name of Shiva's bull is Nandi.
What color is Shiva's skin?
Blue.
What does the snake curled around his neck represent?
Passion and desires.
What intoxicating drink do devotees to Shaivism often prepare?
Thandai.
How many Shaivite temples in India have a statue of Nandi in them?
All of them.
What is Shiva's wife's name?
His wife is known as Parvati, Uma, Sati, Durga, or Kali.
What item is tucked into Shiva's hair?
A crescent.
Who tragically dies to be reincarnated as Parvati?
Sati.
What do the three lines that devotees to Shaivism mark their foreheads with represent?
The three aspects of Shiva.
Nandi is occasionally depicted as a bull-headed _____.
Dwarf.
What is the name of the agricultural deity Shiva originated from?
Rudra.
In what for does the Ganges river flow from his hair?
In the form of ultimate knowledge.
What does Shiva's trident represent?
The three aspects of Shiva: Creation, Preservation, and Destruction.
Where is the lingam placed in Shaivite temples?
In the center of the space below the spire.
Win some Hindu cities, certain _____s are given the freedom to roam the streets.
Bulls.
How often does Shiva destroy the universe?
Every two billion one hundred sixty million years.
What is the drum bound to his trident called?
The damroo drum.
What does the lingam represent?
The energies necessary for life in both the world in which we live and the world which constitutes the whole universe and the raw power of Shiva and his masculinity.
What is the goal of Shaivism?
To rid your soul of bondage and reach Shivata, the nature of Shiva.
Who was Nandi born to?
Sage Silada.