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