Why Indra is Hindu's king of gods

Also read: Why Siva is the most mysterious of all Hindu gods

Of all the deities in the Hindu pantheon, by far the most complex and mysterious to me is Siva. Devotees and scholars alike have attempted to pierce the shrouds of textual and archaeological history to understand his origin, nature and evolution. Yet he continues to defy comprehension and definition.

Some, following John Marshall, have sought him in the phallic emblems, baetyls, seals and sculptures of the Indus Valley Civilisation. Others like Doris Srinivasan place his origins firmly in the early Vedic fold, and in the Vedic deity Rudra.

Still others like Phyllis Granoff point to the textual and iconographic chasm between the Vedic Rudra and the classical Siva, indicating a need for serious contemplation and research to understand how, if indeed they are one and the same deity, the transition and transformation came about. Read more.