And among the many mysteries and unique things about Indian temples, there is the Shiva Shakti Aksh Rekha, or the ancient Shiva temples that are in a straight line from Kedarnath to Rameshwaram.

"Only Shiva can bring together the male-female (Shiva-Shakti) principle, he has come to symbolise the conflicts we face as a society regarding the space for women," says Saraf. Shiva’s energy is ...