Stories 3

All kinds Origin Legend Local story Folk tale From the epics Festival story Temple legend In stone and bronze How a tradition frames it

Everywhere Pan-India 240 South India 81 West India 37 East India 37 North India 28 The Himalaya 17 Northeast India 8 Southeast Asia 6 Central India 5 Sri Lanka 1

curse sacrifice devotion pride boon creation disguise marriage test birth supremacy bargain death fire healing penance rescue pilgrimage river craft festival dance gift rivalry earth emanation friendship night desire fear

Tradition: Shaiva · clear

Origin · 5 tellings · contested

How Shiva became half woman

Brahma makes a world of male beings that cannot multiply.

Ardhanarishvara, Shiva, Parvati, Bhringi

East India Pan-India South India

Origin · 4 tellings · contested

The birth of Kartikeya

Taraka can be killed only by a son of Shiva.

Kartikeya, Shiva, Parvati, Agni

Pan-India South India

Origin · 6 tellings · contested

The pillar of light

Brahma and Vishnu quarrel over who is greater; Shiva appears as a column of fire without end; Brahma flies up as a gander and Vishnu digs down as a boar; Vishnu admits failure, Brahma lies with the ketaki as witness and is cursed. Tamil tradition roots the pillar at Tiruvannamalai.

Shiva, Brahma, Vishnu, Bhairava

Pan-India South India