![DIVINE](https://cdn.magzter.com/Outlook Traveller/1707732518/articles/jop3fBG171707824133950/DIVINE.jpg)
LORD RAM MIGHT BE THE FLAVOUR OF THE day, but nothing has inspired Indian imagination more than the concept of Shiva. There is something very personal yet otherworldly about Shiva. It is challenging to define who or what Shiva is. It is perhaps easier to define who he or she or it is not. Shiva is fluid in the gender itself. He is also a She or It. Or neither of the three. Unlike the stories of Ram or Krishna, rooted in the two great epics of India, Shiva's stories are scattered and diverse. There is no one unifying story, nothing as potent as "Ramayana" or "Mahabharata," for Shiva. He is rooted in the soil of India. Or he emerged out of this very soil, manifested out of the air we breathe.
The childhood stories of Krishna have enchanted Indians for centuries. However, there are no childhood stories of Shiva. The eternal trope of Indian storytelling—the mother-son relationship like that of Yashodha and Krishna—is absent in the case of Shiva. There is no hero's journey like Lord Ram. Shiva has nothing to offer to match the thrill of Radha and Krishna's eternal romance, made more attractive due to the clandestine affair between a married woman and a cowherd, which inspired countless poems and paintings.
Actually, Shiva is not born to kill anyone or establish dharma or maryada. He is not born at all. He is beyond time. Shiva is Mahakala, or the great time itself. He has no beginning or end, yet he is the God of the end, the Samhara Murty. He is the most masculine of our gods, yet he is half female, Ardhanarishvara.
This story is from the February - March 2024 edition of Outlook Traveller.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the February - March 2024 edition of Outlook Traveller.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
![JHARKHAND IN A SIP](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/245/1729516/H1sCi3Vy81718092383558/JHARKHAND-IN-A-SIP.jpg)
JHARKHAND IN A SIP
IN VAST URBAN SPRAWLS where life pulsates frenetically, we often surrender to the convenience of pre-packaged sustenance.
![SWEET SIN](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/245/1729516/mm-o_iecT1718092545908/SWEET-SIN.jpg)
SWEET SIN
FROM THE LEGENDARY STORES IN OLD TOWN TO THE WORLD'S LARGEST CHOCOLATE MUSEUM, FOLLOW THIS CHOCOLATE TRAIL THROUGH ZÜRICH TO DISCOVER HOW A MISTAKE GAVE THE WORLD THE IRRESISTIBLE SWISS MILK CHOCOLATE
![FROM INTENT TO ACTION](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/245/1729516/y4MOkJqi91718091818076/FROM-INTENT-TO-ACTION.jpg)
FROM INTENT TO ACTION
IT'S DIFFICULT TO CONVINCE TRAVELLERS AND INDUSTRY PLAYERS TO PRACTICE SUSTAINABILITY. CAN THE FIELD OF BEHAVIOURAL SCIENCE SHIFT INDUSTRY-WIDE ATTITUDES TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE TOURISM THE NORM?
![LAND OF THE SKY](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/245/1729516/RhIjy5YOO1718088415019/LAND-OF-THE-SKY.jpg)
LAND OF THE SKY
MONGOLIA'S VAST LANDSCAPES BECKON WITH SWEEPING STEPPES AND RUGGED BEAUTY, WHERE NOMADIC TRADITIONS HARMONISE WITH UNTOUCHED WILDERNESS
![Of Mountains And Lakes](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/245/1729516/DM88I9ZK81718091203732/crp_OF-MOUNTAINS-AND-LAKES.jpg)
Of Mountains And Lakes
Slovenia Is A Charming European Getaway With Lovely Cities, Spa Towns, Nature Parks And Cool Party Hotspots At A Price That Won't Make You Bankrupt
![Can Travel Insurance Be Your Friend?](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/245/1729516/pWfdrYZ0s1718092818849/crp_CAN-TRAVEL-INSURANCE-BE-YOUR-FRIEND.jpg)
Can Travel Insurance Be Your Friend?
Tapan Singhel, Md And CEO Of Bajaj Allianz General Insurance, Talks About The Importance Of Buying A Comprehensive Travel Insurance Policy And How It Can Ensure Your Mental Peace
![KENYA](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/245/1729516/238hKCqo01718093270027/KENYA.jpg)
KENYA
If you want to experience a diversity of environments, visiting Kenya should be on your bucket list.
![PEARL OF THE DANUBE](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/245/1729516/PP4nDYqbs1718093070069/PEARL-OF-THE-DANUBE.jpg)
PEARL OF THE DANUBE
WITH AFFORDABLE ATTRACTIONS, IMPOSING ARCHITECTURE, EXCELLENT STREET FOOD AND VIBRANT NIGHTLIFE, BUDAPEST MAKES FOR A VALUE-FOR-MONEY EUROPEAN DESTINATION
![SECRETS OF SIRPUR](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/245/1729516/-gvcYGyuv1718092164000/SECRETS-OF-SIRPUR.jpg)
SECRETS OF SIRPUR
STEPPING OFF THE PLANE in Raipur, the sweltering sun greeted me with a stifling embrace.
![A SLICE OF ITALY](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/245/1729516/rMnJsvk8B1718092074401/A-SLICE-OF-ITALY.jpg)
A SLICE OF ITALY
THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE in Naples is Diego Maradona. His face appears as graffiti on the walls under bridges, as murals covering the side of buildings, painted on café chairs, imprinted on bedroom sheets, and even marketed on energy drinks.