Sara Parkhurst, age 14, of Galveston, Tex., for her question:

WHO WAS SHIVA?'

Shiva is one of the two leading gods of Hinduism. Vishnu is the other.

Shiva, a god of great power, is beyond distinctions of good and evil. Hindus call him the Destroyer because he periodically destroys the world in order to re create it again.

Shiva has a terrifying appearance. But followers consider him a merciful god despite his fearsome characteristics.

Many Hindus worship Shiva as the physical form of Brahman, the most abstract and absolute form of God.

In the art of medieval India, dating from the A.D. 500s, Shiva is portrayed often in sculptures. He is usually shown as a figure with four arms, trampling the body of a dwarf representing evil.

In some sculptures, a ring of fire, representing the universe, surrounds the figure of the dancing Shiva.