This book seeks to trace the origins of Shiva, the most energetic god of Indian civilization, following his footsteps from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, and from the trans-Himalayan region to Indian Ocean countries. It offers a detailed account of his rise from an obscure pre-historic roots, his role as an ordinary family-man, his dissenting voice in the mounting orthodoxy of Hinduism, plethora of sects and philosophies around his personality of contradictions.

It also describes in detail his most debated linga-form, his pan-Asian fame as the great dance master Nataraja, the worship of his footprints along the Mekong River, and finally his role as the ruler of the vast Southeast Asian empire of Angkor through subtle local transformations.