Hope and Despair Trivia Quiz

Answer: Golden Temple

The name Harmandir Sahib translates to 'Temple of God'. More famous by the moniker of the Golden Temple, the construction of this gurudwara was begun by the fourth Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Ram Das in the late 16th century. In the 19th century, Ranjit Singh, the first king of the Sikh Empire, covered the upper part of the temple in gold leading to it being called the Golden Temple.

Answer: Hair

The temple is dedicated to Venkateswara, a form of the Hindu god Vishnu. It is one of the most visited religious sites in the world with the number of devotees received daily ranging from 50,000 to 100,000. Pilgrims tonsure their heads at the temple and the hair is offered to the deity as an act of sacrifice and humility.

Answer: Lumbini

Lumbini, Bodh Gaya, Sarnath and Kusinara all played pivotal roles in the life of Buddha and are hence regarded as the four main religious sites for followers of Buddhism.

Lumbini is the birthplace of Gautam Buddha and is located in the district of Rupandehi in Nepal. The site is also home to a stone pillar believed to have been erected by the Indian Emperor, Ashoka of the Maurya Dynasty, who turned to Buddhism after repenting at the bloodshed caused by him during the conquest of Kalinga.

Bodh Gaya is believed to be the place where Buddha received enlightenment and is found in the Gaya district of Bihar in India. After attaining enlightenment, Buddha travelled to Sarnath, where he first preached what later became the Buddhist philosophy of Dharma. Finally, Kusinara is where Buddha attained Parinirvana - the physical death of a person who has already attained enlightenment.

Answer: Lotus Temple

The Lotus Temple was completed in 1986 and is designated as the Mother Temple of the Indian subcontinent. In keeping with the laws of the Baha'i faith, people of all religions are permitted to enter the temple and any religious texts may be read here. However, no musical instruments can be used inside the House of Worship and no sermons may be preached.

Answer: Birthday

According to legend, a fisherman in the small hamlet of Bandra dreamt of finding a statue of the Virgin Mary in the sea. Following the dream, a statue of Mary was found floating in the sea by some of the fisher folk. The statue was then installed in the church built by the Jesuits. Every year in September a week-long festival is held beginning on the first Sunday following September 8, the birthday of Mary.

Answer: Karnataka

The colossal statue carved out of a single rock is found in Shravana Belagola, a small city in the state of Karnataka. Bahubali, also known as Gommata, was the son of the first Jain Tirthankara, Rishabh. The Jain religion recognises 24 Tirthankaras - human beings who have attained enlightenment and act as spiritual gurus to guide others towards the same.

The statue of Bahubali is nude to depict his renunciation of all worldly pleasures.

Answer: May

The Urs or annual pilgrimage is held every year in May and sees thousands of devotees visiting the shrine. Apart from the tomb of the saint, the Dargah complex also consists of a mosque donated by the Mughal emperor Akbar who visited the site every year in accordance with a vow he made while seeking an heir.

Answer: Fire

Udvada is regarded as one of the most holy sites by the Zoroastrians as it is home to the sacred fire that was brought by the early refugees from Persia. The fire temple at Udvada is named Iranshah Atash Behram and like all other fire temples is inaccessible to non-Zoroastrians. The sacred fire is believed to have been burning continuously for the last 1200-1300 years.

Answer: True

St. Francis Xavier, a Roman Catholic missionary, was one of the co-founders of the Society of Jesus, more commonly known as the Jesuits, along with St. Ignatius of Loyola. He preached extensively in India and died while on his way to China in 1552. His body was later shipped back to Goa and has been kept in the Basilica along with other relics.

Answer: Shiva

Shiva, Brahma and Vishnu form the Hindu trinity. Due to its location, the shrine is inaccessible for most of the year, with the annual pilgrimage known as the Amarnath Yatra taking place within a 45-day period in July and August. The Lingam, a representation of the deity Shiva, in the Amarnath Shrine is formed of ice.

There are two other ice structures found in the cave that are considered to represent Shiva's wife, Parvati and their son, the elephant-headed god, Ganesha.