RAMAYANA
What is the name of Ravana's father?
Sage Vishravas
Who gave Bhishma the boon that he would die only when he wished?
Shantanu
In the forest of ________, great sags headed by sage Saunaka assembles to perform a great 1000 year sacrifice
Naimisharnya
What is the term for each of the 10 books into which the Rigveda is divided?
Mandalas
Yama is the god of death in Hindu mythology. Who is the lord of death in Greek mythology?
Thanatos
What is the name of Kaikeyi's brother?
Yudhajit
"The foreign reader...is at once struck by two features: in the first place its unity in complexity; and, in the second, its constant efforts to impress on its hearers the idea of a single centralized India, with a heroic tradition of her own as formative and uniting impulse." Who wrote this about the Mahabharata?
Sister Nivedita (Margaret Elizabeth Noble)
Nara and Narayana appeared in Kuru and Yadu Dynasty as_________.
Arjuna and Krishna
Which genre of Vedic text speculates about the ontological connection between humanity and the cosmos?
Upanishad
What is special about Lord Nataraja temple in Chidambaram geographically?
It is situated at the magnetic equator of the Earth.
How many brothers and sisters did Ravana have? Include his step brothers and sisters as well
Kumbhakarna, Vibhishana, Karan, Dhushanan, Trishiras, Kuberan, Shurpanakha, Kumbhini
What were the names of Karna's foster parents?
Adhiratha & Radha
A lake was formed from the tears when Lord Vishnu came to bless Kardhama Prajapati. Name the lake.
Bindu saras
Which Hindu deity is worshipped as the eighth incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu and also as a supreme god in his own right?
Krishna
How long did it take for a pyramid to be built in Egypt?
Two decades
After Sita got married to Rama and spent a few days happily, they had to go into exile. On the way, they met many sages. What did Sage Atri's wife, Anusuya, give to Sita?
Clothes and a jewel that would never fade
The "House of Lac" was built by whom?
Purochana
Purochana, the architect, built the "house of lac" in Varnavata. It was a plot to kill the Pandavas hatched by Duryodhana and Shakuni. Acharya Vidura saved the Pandavas.
In the valley of which hill did Hirayakashipu perform his penance to please Lord Brahma?
Mandara hill
Which Hindu deity is the personification of divine authority, the ruler of the sky realm, and the upholder of cosmic and moral law?
Varuna
We know about the Sun temple in Konark, Odisha. There are five more temples in India dedicated to the Sun God. Where are they?
Modhera Sun Temple, Gujarat
Surya Pahar Sun Temple, Assam
Suryanar koil, Tamil Nadu
Martand Sun Temple, Kashmir
Suryanarayanswamy Temple, Arasavalli (AP)
Now outside of Ravan's palace, one of the demonesses loved Sita like her daughter. Who was she?
Answer: Trijata
Which rule should be followed while fighting with the mace?
The opponent should not be hit below the hips.
Gajendra was ____________in his previous birth.
King Indradyumna
What is unique about the king Yayayti?
He became prematurely old by the curse of sage Shukracharya, the Guru of Asuras and his father-in-law, for having wronged his wife Devayani (Shukracharya’s daughter). Then he was granted the concession of being able to transfer his old age to any of his willing sons. Yayati suddenly became an old man but was still haunted by his sensual desires. So, he called all his sons and expected to regain his youth by transferring his curse to any one of them. All of them except one, refused the offer. Only Puru, the last son from Sharmishtha, agrees to give his youth to his father.
Name the 12 Jyotir lingas.
Somnath, Nageshwar, Bhimashankar, Trimbakeshwar, Grishneshwar, Vaidyanath, Mahakaleshwar, Omkareshwar, Kashi Vishwanath, Kedarnath, Rameshwaram, and Mallikarjuna.