A little girl asks who Shiva is and it is the beginning of a family journey through stories and incidents across the expanse of Shivbhumi-all the way from the mystical Mount Kailash to the fabled Ocean of Milk and the netherworld. Story after story from across India takes us closer to this elusive but much-loved god of gods, the Mahadev-his avatars and his lilas; his drinking the Kalakuta poison to save the world and his grief at the passing of Sati; his restoration as a householder and his eternal identity as the Mahayogi; his temples and their history; and his quirky, tender and wholly unpredictable involvement with the mortals who love him. Writing in the Harikatha style of traditional storytelling, Renuka Narayanan builds a unique narrative to draw the reader into the loving, giving world of Mahadev.