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