Hindu Gods and Goddesses

The three main Gods who are Brahma, the creator, Vishnu, the preserver and Shiva, the destroyer. These deities are known by the names Trimurti, the Hindu Triad and the Great Trinity. The three are the most popular gods in the Hindu religion.

Known as the creator God, the most common depiction of Brahma shows faces heads on one neck or four faces on one head, facing all different directions. This is so, as he continually recites each of the four vedas. Unlike most gods, he does nto hold a weapon but instead holds a scepter in the form of a spoon that signifies Brahma as the lord of sacrifices.

More commonly known as the creater and destroyer of all existences, the Supreme God is described as the master of and beyond the past, present and future. Vishnu is also depicted as the one who supports, sustains and governs the Universe as well as originating and developing all the elements within it.

Translates as "The auspicious one", Shiva is the third of the Trimurti, who is also known as the Destroyer. In images and statues of the God, he is shown as being immersed in a deep meditation. Other notable mentions of Shiva is the carrying of a deer in his left upper hand and a trident in his lower right hand. He also wears five serpents as his ornaments and faces south.

Being one of the best known deities and most widely worshipped in the Hindu religion, Ganesha is easily identifyable from his elephant head. His title is known as the Remover of Obstacles or more generally the Lord of Beginnings and the Lord of Obstacles. Himself as a God is usually worhsipped at the beginning of ceromonies and rituals.

Once a great ancient king of the Asura, Daitya and Rakshasa races upon Earth, he is the father of Mandodari, husband of wife, Ravan and emperor of Lanka. He is also regarded as a hero and father figure for many of the great Hindu Epics, Rakshasa, Asura and Daitya. Whilst still being the ancient king of the three flying cities, they were torched by Lord Shiva, Fortunately Mayasura escaped as he was a devotee to the Lord Shiva

Often depicted as a young boy playing the flute or a youthful prince giving direction and guidance, Krishna is one of the eight avatars of Vishnu. Through the beliefs of Hinduism, he is portrayed as a god-child, a prankster, a model lover, a divine hero and a Supreme Being. He is featured in the texts Mahabharata, the Harivamsa, the Bhagavata Purana and the Vishnu Purana that tells of his life.In early Hinduism, his skin was shown as brown whereas in more recent years, it is depicted as blue.

Translated as "The inaccessbile" in Sanskrit or "The invincible" in Bengali, Durga is "the one who can redeem in situations of utmost distress". Durga is a form of Devi, a goddess with ten arms that rides a tiger or a lion, carrying weapons and a lotus flower, maintaining a meditative smile and praticing Hindu hand gestures. Durga exists in a state of self-sufficiency and fierce compassion. She is also the mother of Ganesha and Kartikeya, thus considered the fiercer, demon-fighting form of Shiva's wife, goddess Parvati.

Being the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity, light, wisdom, fortune, fertility, genorosity, beauty, courage and calmness, Lakshmi also brings good luck to her devotees. She is believed to protect her devotees from emotional and financial sorrows. Hindu texts refer to her as Mahalakshmi as she is the onnly one to object and aim the uplifting of mankind.

The Ganges river in Hinduism when personified, morphs into the goddess Ganga who holds and important place in Hinduism. By bathing in the river, Hindus believe that it will cause a remission in sins and facilitates the attainment of liberation of the life cycle of rebirth and death. Also by scattering the ashes of the deceased in the Ganges River, the Hindu believe that their kin will go to heaven.

In Hinduism, Matangi is the aspect of Devi who is the patron of inner thought and speech. She is portayed as a goddess who has three eyes and either a dark emerald or dark blue complexion. Matangi is also the daughter of Rishi Matanga. She also emerges as an aspect of Sati, spouse of Siva and the daughter of Daksha in the mythical cycle of Saksayajna.

Being the fifth avatar if Vishnu, also the first avatar to appear as a human, although he appears as a dwarf of the Brahmin caste. He is also twelfth of the Adityas and is known to be the younger brother of Indra. Vamana is also a disguise of a short Brahman who carries a wooden umbrella who had once requested three steps of land to live in.