Shiva, ‘the destroyer’ among the Hindu trinity (of gods), is
depicted in many contradictory manners. He is an ascetic
who wears animal skin, his body smeared with ashes.
Contradictory to his wild nature, he is also depicted as
having a family, with a beautiful wife and two children.
There are many more such varied representations of
Shiva, the most prominent of these being the Linga and
the Nataraja. The author, Devdutt Pattanaik, introduces
the readers to these varied aspects and representations,
and then sets about interpreting them. He explains the
different anomalies and conflicts in beliefs, as well as the
symbolism, rituals and reasons behind Hindu worship.