Durga - Quiz
Durga
  • 1. Who is Durga in Hindu mythology?
A) God of water
B) God of knowledge
C) Goddess of strength and protection
D) God of fire
  • 2. What is the weapon of Goddess Durga?
A) Trishul (trident)
B) Spear
C) Sword
D) Bow and arrow
  • 3. Which demon did Durga defeat in battle?
A) Hiranyakashipu
B) Bhasmasura
C) Mahishasura
D) Ravana
  • 4. Where is the most famous temple dedicated to Goddess Durga located in India?
A) Kamakhya
B) Mata Rani
C) Vaishno Devi
D) Tirupati Balaji
  • 5. What material is traditionally used to sculpt statues of Goddess Durga?
A) Marble
B) Metal
C) Wood
D) Clay
  • 6. In which form does Goddess Durga represent the fiercest aspect of Shakti (power)?
A) Saraswati
B) Parvati
C) Kali
D) Lakshmi
  • 7. Which festival marks the beginning of Durga Puja celebrations?
A) Diwali
B) Mahalaya
C) Karva Chauth
D) Dussehra
  • 8. What is the vahana (vehicle) of Goddess Durga besides the lion?
A) Tiger
B) Horse
C) Peacock
D) Elephant
  • 9. What is the name of the festival dedicated to the victory of Goddess Durga over Mahishasura?
A) Durga Puja
B) Ratha Yatra
C) Onam
D) Ganesh Chaturthi
  • 10. What does the name 'Durga' mean in Sanskrit?
A) The Inaccessible One, The Impenetrable One
B) The Warrior Goddess
C) The Great Goddess
D) The Primordial Power
  • 11. Which sect primarily worships Durga as the Ultimate Reality?
A) Smartism
B) Vaishnavism
C) Shaivism
D) Shaktism
  • 12. In which context is Durga revered as Yogamaya?
A) Smartism contexts
B) Shakta contexts
C) Shaiva contexts
D) Vaishnava contexts
  • 13. Who is Durga considered to be the sister of in Vaishnava traditions?
A) Shiva
B) Vishnu
C) Indra
D) Brahma
  • 14. In which regional tradition is Durga identified with Parvati and considered the consort of Shiva?
A) Maharashtra
B) Bengal
C) Kerala
D) Tamil Nadu
  • 15. What does the word 'Durga' literally mean?
A) Mysterious, hidden, secretive
B) Impassable, invincible, unassailable
C) Peaceful, gentle, serene
D) Accessible, vulnerable, conquerable
  • 16. What does Alain Daniélou suggest Durga means?
A) After defeat
B) Within defeat
C) Before defeat
D) Beyond defeat
  • 17. Which epithet of Durga refers to her slaying the demon Mahishasura?
A) Vindhyavasini
B) Mahamoha
C) Mahasuri
D) Mahishasura-mardini
  • 18. Where is Durga known as Vindhyavasini?
A) She who dwells in the Himalayas
B) She who dwells in the Ganges
C) She who dwells in the Vindhya Mountains
D) She who dwells in the Yamuna
  • 19. What is the purpose of reciting the 'Ashtottarshat Namavali of Goddess Durga'?
A) To learn Sanskrit
B) To worship her with 108 names
C) To celebrate a festival
D) To invoke rain
  • 20. Which of the following is not an epithet of Durga?
A) Chandika
B) Ambika
C) Sharada
D) Vaishnavi
  • 21. Which ancient Sanskrit grammarian mentioned Durga in his works?
A) Valmiki
B) Kālidāsa
C) Vyasa
D) Pāṇini
  • 22. Which text contains a section where Durga is mentioned as the goddess who slays an invincible Asura?
A) Ramayana
B) Bhagavad Gita
C) Upanishads
D) Mahabharata
  • 23. What does the epithet 'Mahamoha' signify?
A) The great beauty
B) The great wisdom
C) The great power
D) The great delusion
  • 24. Which of the following is an epithet of Durga meaning 'the great demoness'?
A) Vindhyavasini
B) Mahasuri
C) Tamasi
D) Mahamoha
  • 25. Which ancient text contains a commentary by Yaska that mentions Durga?
A) Nirukta
B) Bhagavad Gita
C) Ramayana
D) Mahabharata
  • 26. Which ancient civilization's artifacts suggest the presence of a Durga-like goddess?
A) Vedic Civilization
B) Gupta Civilization
C) Indus Valley Civilization
D) Maurya Civilization
  • 27. In which text of the Rig Veda does reverence for Devi first appear?
A) 1st Maṇḍala
B) 5th Maṇḍala
C) 10th Maṇḍala
D) 7th Maṇḍala
  • 28. Which Upanishad describes Kali as 'terrible yet swift as thought'?
A) Chandogya Upanishad
B) Isha Upanishad
C) Mundaka Upanishad
D) Kena Upanishad
  • 29. In which period does Durga appear as an independent deity in ancient Indian texts?
A) Vedic period
B) Classical period
C) Epic period
D) Medieval period
  • 30. What is the other name for Durga Puja in Hindi?
A) Dussehra
B) Navratri
C) Holi
D) Diwali
  • 31. How is Durga depicted in the Jain Ellora Caves?
A) As a mother goddess
B) As a peaceful deity
C) As a demon slayer
D) As a warrior
  • 32. In which sacred text of Sikhism is Durga exalted as a creation of the divine?
A) Varan Bhai Gurdas
B) Adi Granth
C) Guru Granth Sahib
D) Dasam Granth
  • 33. How long does Sharadiya Durga Puja last?
A) Fifteen days
B) Ten days
C) Nine days
D) Four days
  • 34. What is the traditional mount of Durga?
A) Tiger
B) Elephant
C) Lion
D) Buffalo
  • 35. Which text provides guidelines for Durga Puja from the 14th century?
A) Bhagavad Gita
B) Surviving manuscripts
C) Mahabharata
D) Ramayana
  • 36. What is the official national song of India that was inspired by Durga?
A) Saare Jahan Se Achha
B) Vande Mataram
C) Jana Gana Mana
D) Maa Tujhe Salaam
  • 37. Which city is famous for Durga Puja?
A) Mumbai
B) Kolkata
C) Chennai
D) Delhi
  • 38. Who did Mahishasura ask for a boon from after doing severe penance?
A) Vishnu
B) Brahma
C) Shiva
D) Indra
  • 39. Who is traditionally attributed with the authorship of the Dasam Granth?
A) Guru Gobind Singh
B) Guru Nanak
C) Guru Arjan
D) Guru Tegh Bahadur
  • 40. In which country is Durgottāriṇī-tārā worshiped during Prajñāpāramitā rituals?
A) Sri Lanka
B) Bhutan
C) Nepal
D) India
  • 41. Which Hindu goddess is Durga considered an aspect of in Vaishnavism?
A) Kali
B) Parvati
C) Saraswati
D) Lakshmi
  • 42. Who is considered Durga's consort in some popular devotional practices?
A) Ganesha
B) Kartikeya
C) Shiva
D) Vishnu
  • 43. What is the season called during which Sharadiya Durga Puja is celebrated?
A) Sharad
B) Hemanta
C) Vasant
D) Grishma
  • 44. What does the tenth day of Dashain signify?
A) The day of gift-giving
B) The beginning of the festival
C) The end of the festival
D) Durga's victory over Mahisura
  • 45. During which months is Durga Puja typically celebrated?
A) September or October
B) June or July
C) January or February
D) April or May
  • 46. Which script's inscriptions mention Durga's victory over Mahishasura?
A) Kharosthi
B) Siddhamatrika
C) Gupta
D) Brahmi
  • 47. How many days are traditionally spent remembering Durga and her ideas?
A) Ten
B) Fifteen
C) Five
D) Nine
  • 48. When did the iconographic features of Durga become common throughout India?
A) By the 10th century CE
B) By about the 4th century CE
C) By the 8th century CE
D) By the 1st century CE
  • 49. Which Japanese Buddhist deity shares many features with Durga?
A) Miroku
B) Kannon
C) Amida Buddha
D) Cundī
  • 50. What is the name of the victory day in Bengali?
A) Dol
B) Bijoya
C) Poush
D) Chaitra
  • 51. Who wrote the song 'Vande Mataram' that was inspired by Durga as the mother goddess?
A) Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
B) Sarojini Naidu
C) Rabindranath Tagore
D) Subramania Bharati
  • 52. What boon did Mahishasura receive from Brahma?
A) Immortality
B) Only a woman could kill him
C) Invisibility
D) Unbeatable strength
  • 53. In which country have Durga statues been discovered at stone temples and archaeological sites related to the Champa or Cham dynasty?
A) Malaysia
B) Laos
C) Thailand
D) Vietnam
  • 54. How many forms of Durga are worshipped during Dashain?
A) Fifteen
B) Eight
C) Nine
D) Ten
  • 55. According to Vaishnava tradition, who is Durga an avatar of?
A) Lakshmi
B) Yogamaya
C) Saraswati
D) Parvati
  • 56. How many statues of Durga have been uncovered on Indonesian islands?
A) 50
B) At least 135
C) 200
D) 100
  • 57. In which Indian state is Dussera Navaratri celebrated with Durga dressed as different Devi?
A) Kerala
B) Andhra Pradesh
C) Bengal
D) Tamil Nadu
  • 58. What is the name of the day celebrating Durga's victory?
A) Vijayadashami
B) Navratri
C) Holi
D) Diwali
  • 59. In which month according to the Hindu luni-solar calendar is Durga Puja celebrated?
A) Ashvina
B) Magha
C) Chaitra
D) Vaishakha
  • 60. Which form of Tara is believed to have originated as a form of Durga?
A) Durgottāriṇī-tārā
B) Blue Tārā
C) White Tārā
D) Tara of the Green Tārā
  • 61. Which Bollywood movie features Durga in its storyline?
A) Lagaan
B) Jai Santoshi Maa
C) Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge
D) Swades
  • 62. What are some aniconic forms used to remember Durga?
A) Sculptures of humans
B) Geometric designs (yantra)
C) Statues of animals
D) Paintings
  • 63. Which Tibetan Buddhist goddess has similar features to the protective and fierce Durga?
A) Tsongkhapa
B) Jetsun Mila
C) Sakya Pandita
D) Palden Lhamo
  • 64. Who gifted Durga a lion as her mount?
A) Brahma
B) Vishnu
C) Shiva
D) Himavan
  • 65. What is Dashain also known as?
A) Holi
B) Diwali
C) Tihar
D) Dasain
  • 66. What is the Jainism text that mentions a festival similar to Durga Puja?
A) Kalpa Sutra
B) Acharanga Sutra
C) Tattvartha Sutra
D) Yasatilaka
  • 67. Which Purana is most significant for its chapters on Durga?
A) Bhagavata Purana
B) Markandeya Purana
C) Vishnu Purana
D) Shiva Purana
  • 68. How many arms did Durga manifest when Kamsa attempted to slay her?
A) Eighteen
B) Four
C) Six
D) Ten
  • 69. Which aspect of Durga is worshipped in Eastern India, especially in Bengal?
A) Shakta folk traditions
B) Vaishnavi
C) Navadurga
D) Mahakali
  • 70. In Jainism, which deity mirrors Durga and is found in major medieval era Jain temples?
A) Sacciya mata
B) Ambika
C) Padmavati
D) Chakreshvari
  • 71. What is the local name for Durga in parts of Java?
A) Loro Jonggrang
B) Dewi Sri
C) Sri Mariamman
D) Ratu Kidul
  • 72. What is the festival called in Nepali that celebrates Durga's victory?
A) Tihar
B) Indra Jatra
C) Dashain
D) Gai Jatra
  • 73. What is the symbolism of Durga in some Shaktas' worship?
A) Goddess of knowledge
B) Mother Nature
C) Warrior goddess
D) Goddess of wealth
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