List of Hindu deities

Main deities

The Trimurti (the Hindu Trinity), also known as the Tridev, consists of Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Shiva the Destroyer and Reincarnator. Their feminine counterparts are Saraswati, the wife of Brahma, Lakshmi, the wife of Vishnu, and Parvati (or Durga), the wife of Shiva. The followers of Vishnu and Shiva form two major sects.

Brahma

According to Hinduism, Brahma is the creator of the entire cosmic universe. Although he is the creator, he is hardly worshipped in modern Hinduism as Shiva was said to curse him that he would never be worshipped. He is identified with the supreme vedic god, Prajapati. Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom and music is also wife of Brahma, who emerged to give knowledge to create. Some alternative names for Brahma the Creator are:

• Vedanatha
• Chaturmukha
• Prajapati
• Hiranyagarbha
• Vedagarbha
• Kaushala

Vishnu

Main article: Vishnu

Vaishnavism is the sect within Hinduism that worships Vishnu. He is considered as the Para Brahman , the Preserver god of the Trimurti (the Hindu Trinity), and his many incarnations. Vaishnavites regard him to be eternal and the strongest and supreme God. It is a devotional sect, and followers worship many deities, including Rama and Krishna both the 7th & the 8th incarnations of Vishnu respectively. The adherents of this sect are generally non-ascetic, monastic and devoted to meditative practice and ecstatic chanting. Some alternate names of Vishnu the Preserver are:

• Adi Narayana
• Narayana
• Thirumal
• Perumal
• Jagannatha
• Hayagriva
• Achyuta
• Madhava
• Venkateshwara, as Vishnu is known in parts of South India
• Guruvayurappan
• Vaikuntha Chaturmurti
• Vaikuntha Kamalaja
• Mohini
• Lakshmi Narayan
• Krishna
• Vishvarupa
• Ranganatha
• Dashavatara, the 10 incarnations of Vishnu
• Madhusudana
• Padmanabha
• Ananta Shayana
• Hari
• Upulvan, another name for Vishnu In Sri Lanka
• Purushottama
• Vasudeva
• Govinda
• Caturvyūha
• Gopala

Shiva

Main article: Shiva

Shaivism is one of the major Hindu sects. Adherents of Shaivism believe that the god Shiva is the supreme being. Shiva is the Destroyer god among the Trimurti, and so is sometimes depicted as the fierce god Bhairava. Shaivists are more attracted to asceticism than adherents of other Hindu sects, and may be found wandering with ashen faces performing self-purification rituals. Some alternative forms of Shiva (and Bhairava) are listed below:

• Ardhanarishvara
• Nataraja
• Pashupati
• Rudra
• Dakshinamurthy
• Ravananugraha
• Vaidheeswara
• Virupaksha
• Lingodbhava
• Bhikshatana
• Sri Manjunatha
• Jyotirlinga Forms, The 12 divine representations of Lord Shiva
• Bholenath
• Maheshwara
• Budhakedar Vrûdhā/वृद्ध (Old) form of Shiva who guided Pandavas to Swargarohini.

Goddesses

Main article: Devi

Communities of goddess worship are ancient in India. In the Rigveda, the most prominent goddess is Ushas, the goddess of dawn. In modern Hinduism, goddesses are widely revered. Shaktism is one of the major sects of Hinduism. Followers of Shaktism believe that the goddess (Devi) is the power (Shakti) that underlies the female principle, and that Devi is the supreme being, one and the same with Para Brahman. Shakti has many forms and manifestations and goddesses that are parts of her, like Lakshmi, Durga, Parvati and Saraswati. Devi is believed to manifest in peaceful forms, such as Lakshmi the consort of Vishnu and also in fierce forms, such as Kali and Durga. In Shaktism, Adi Parashakti is regarded as Ultimate Godhead or Para Brahman. She is formless i.e. Nirguna in reality, but may take many forms i.e. Sagun. Durga and Lalita Tripurasundari are regarded as the supreme goddess in the Kalikula and Srikula systems respectively. Shaktism is closely related with Tantric Hinduism, which teaches rituals and practices for purification of the mind and body. Some different parts of Shakti (Devi) the Mother Goddess are:

• Durga (form of Parvati), the slayer of Durgamasura and Mahishasura
• Kali (form of Parvati) as Bhadrakali, an auspicious form of Kali and Bharavi/Chamundeshwari often known as Chandi, as a ferocious form of Parvati
• Annapoorna (incarnation of Goddess Parvati), the goddess of food
• Sati (first wife of Shiva), Parvati in a previous life.
• Lakshmi and her Ashtalakshmi, goddess of wealth and wife of Vishnu
• Sita, an incarnation of Lakshmi, wife of Ram, an incarnation of Vishnu in the Tretayuga. She is the most prominent goddess in the Ramayana.
• Radha, the goddess of love. The consort of Krishna. She is considered as an incarnation of Lakshmi. She resides with Krishna in their eternal abode, Goloka.
• Rukmini, the wife of Krishna who is the form of Vishnu in the Dwaparyuga. She is a prominent incarnation of Lakshmi.
• Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom and music and also wife of Brahma
• Savitri (a form of Saraswati), wife of Brahma, born from the left side of Brahma, mother of four Vedas.
• Gayatri (a personification of the Gayatri Mantra).
• Ganga, the goddess personification of the Ganges River, she later married King Shantanu as his first wife and gave birth to Bhishma Pitamah in the Mahabharat era.
• Yami, the sacred river Yamuna and goddess of life
• Narmada, the daughter of Shiva, also goddess of river Narmada
• Shashthi, also known as Devasena, wife of Kartikeya and goddess of children and reproduction.
• Svaha, considered as the goddess of ash and marriage, daughter of Daksha and wife of Agni.
• Manasa, daughter of sage Kashyap, sister of Vasuki, wife of sage Jaratkaru, mother of sage Astika and goddess of snakes and fertility.
• Dakshina, goddess of yagna, born from the hair follicles of Radha, reborn from goddess Lakshmi and wife of Yagna.

Related deities

• Ganesha is the son of Shiva and Parvati and is also called Ganapati. The Ganapatya sect worshipped Ganesha as their chief deity. He is the god of wisdom and remover of all obstacles. He is worshipped before any other deity.
• Kartikeya is the son of Shiva and Parvati and is also called Muruga, Subramanya, Karthik, Kumara or Shanmukha. The Kaumaram sect worshipped Subramanya as their chief deity. He is also the brother of Ganesha.
• Ayyappan is the son of Shiva and Mohini (an incarnation of Vishnu) and is also called Manikanta since he has mani (Rudraksha) in kanta (neck).
• Hanuman is one of the incarnations of Shiva and a devotee of Rama (an incarnation of Vishnu) and was also called Anjaneya, since his mother is Anjana.
• Ganga is the goddess of the most holy river in Hinduism. She is considered to erase all sins and purify a person.
• Yamuna is the daughter Surya (the sun god) and Saranyu (the goddess of clouds) and the wife of Krishna. She represents life energy.
• Hansa is the devoted swan who acts as the vahan (vehicle) of Brahma and Saraswati.
• Garuda is the devoted eagle who acts as the vahan (vehicle) of Vishnu and the king of all birds. He is prominent in the Garud Purana.
• Nandi is the devoted bull who acts as the vahan (vehicle) of Shiva.
• Shani is the son of Surya and Chhaya. He is the god of justice.
• Shesha is the king of Nagas.

Avatars (Incarnations)

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Main article: Avatar

Parvati

Mahadevi

1. Gayatri
2. Yogamaya
3. Sati
4. Lalita
5. Uma
6. Durga
7. Chandika
8. Rudrani
9. Mhalsa
10. Ganga
11. Kamakhya
12. Meenakshi
13. Kamakshi
14. Vishalakshi
15. Padmakshi Renuka
16. Kanya Kumari
17. Annapurna
18. Shakambhari
19. Bhramari
20. Kaushiki
21. Akilandeswari
22. Mariamman
23. Bhavani
24. Ambika
25. Periyachi
26. Shitala
27. Mandhradevi

Mahavidya’s

1. Kali
2. Tara
3. Shodashi
4. Bhuvaneswari
5. Chhinnamasta
6. Bhairavi
7. Dhumavati
8. Bagalamukhi
9. Matangi
10. Kamalatmika

Navadurga

1. Shailaputri
2. Brahmacharini
3. Chandraghanta
4. Kushmanda
5. Skandamata
6. Katyayani
7. Kalaratri
8. Mahagauri
9. Siddhidhatri

Kali

1. Mahakali
2. Bhadrakali
3. Adya kali
4. Sri kali
5. Vama kali
6. Bhima kali
7. Shamshana kali
9. Raksha kali
10. Krishna kali
11. Rakta kali
12. Shyama kali

Matrikas

1. Brahmani
2. Maheshwari
3. Kaumari
4. Vaishnavi
5. Varahi
6. Narasimhi
7. Indrani
8. Chamunda
9. Vinayaki
10. Shivadooti

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Ganesha

1. Vinayaka (Anointed one); Destroyer of all evils.
2. Vakratunda (Template:IAST) ("twisting trunk"), his mount is an elephant.
3. Ekadanta ("single tooth"), his mount is a mouse.
4. Mahodara ("big belly"), his mount is a mouse.
5. Mahaganapati (Great Ganapati).
6. Gajavaktra (or Gajānana) ("elephant face"), his mount is a mouse.
7. Lambodara ("pendulous belly"), his mount is a mouse.
8. Vikata (Template:IAST) ("unusual form", "misshapen"), his mount is a peacock.
9. Vighnaraja (Template:IAST) ("king of obstacles"), his mount is the celestial serpent Template:IAST.
10. Dhumravarna (Template:IAST) ("grey color") corresponds to Śiva, his mount is a horse.

Ashtavinayakas

8 chief temples of Ganesha worshipped throughout the state of Maharashtra.

1. Mayureshwar - Morgaon Ganesha Temple.
2. Siddhivinayak - Siddhivinayak Temple.
3. Ballaleshwar - Ballaleshwar Temple.
4. Varadavinayak - Varadavinayak Temple.
5. Chintamani - Chintamani Temple.
6. Girijatmaj - Girijatmaj Temple.
7. Vigneshwar - Vigneshwar Temple.
8. Mahaganapati - Mahaganapati Temple

Shiva

1. Shankar Avatar
2. Veerabhadra Avatar
3. Bhairava Avatar
4. Khandoba Avatar
5. Durvasa Avatar
6. Nataraja Avatar
7. Ardhanarishvara Avatar
8. Muneeswarar Avatar
9. Muthappan Avatar
10. Pashupati Avatar
11. Gangeshwar Avatar
12. Rudra Avatar
13. Lingam Avatar
14. Dakshinamurthy Avatar
15. Ravananugraha Avatar
16. Vaidheeswara Avatar
17. Lingodbhava Avatar
18. Somaskanda Avatar
19. Bhikshatana Avatar
20. Sri Manjunatha Avatar
21. Jyotirlinga Forms, The 12 divine representations of Lord Shiva
22. Bholenath Avatar
23. Hanuman Avatar
24. Tripurantaka Avatar
25. Mahadev Avatar
26. Mahakala Avatar
27. Sharabha Avatar
28. Dattatreya Avatar
29. Bhava Avatar
30. Kapali Avatar
31. Yogeshwarya Avatar
32. Adiyogi Avatar
33. Ashwatthama Avatar
34. Pipplada Avatar
35. Virupaksha Avatar
36. Pingala Avatar
37. Yaksha Avatar

Brahma

1. Kashyapa Avatar
2. Sukra Avatar
3. Kalidasa Avatar
4. Chandra Avatar
5. Samudra Avatar
6. Jambavan Avatar
7. Agastya Avatar

Vishnu

The Dashavatara : These avatars are the main and official avatars according to the Hindu texts.

1. Matsya, the fish
2. Kurma, the tortoise
3. Varaha, the boar
4. Narasimha, the Half Man-Half Lion avatar
5. Vamana, the Dwarf
6. Parashurama, the cosmic warrior Brahmin
7. Rama, the emperor of Kosala and the hero of the epic Ramayana
8. Krishna, central character in the Mahabharata, the Bhagavata Purana and the Bhagavad Gita, though according to some is the supreme parambrahman himself
9. Gautama Buddha, founder of buddhism
10. Kalki, expected to appear at the end of Kali Yuga

The other avatars : These avatars are considered as forms of Lord Vishnu other than the main avatars.

1. Dattatreya, considered as an avatar of the Hindu trinity
2. Guruvayoorappan, Lord Krishna in his child form
3. Vyasa, Sage who wrote the epic Ramayana
4. Prithu, the form of cow
5. Balarama, also considered as an avatar of Sheshnaag
6. Jagannath, form of Lord Krishna in Odisha
7. Vitthal, considered as a form of Lord Krishna in Maharashtra
8. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ,a saint known as an avatar of Lord Krishna and Radha combined
9. Mohini, the enchantress avatar known for the Samudra Manthan episode in hindu texts
10. Hayagriva, horse headed avatar

Lakshmi

1. Bhargavi
2. Sridevi
3. Sita
4. Radha
5. Rukmini
6. Ashtabharya
7. Padmavati
8. Andal
9. Rahi
10. Revati
11. Maha Lakshmi
12. Yamuna
13. Narayani
14. Junior wives of Krishna
15. Alamelu manga
16. Vedvati
17. Varahi
18. Vaishnavi
19. Narsimhi
20. Devi
21. Chaitanya
22. Jyotismati
23. Archi
24. Dakshina
25. Dharani
26. Surabhi
27. Kirti
28. Lakshmipriya
29. Vishnupriya
30. Urmila
31. Mandavi
32. Shrutkirti
33. Viraja
34. Gandaki
35. Vaishno Devi
36. Mahamaya
37. Bhudevi
38. Nila devi
39. Sunanda
40. Sumangala
41. Jaya prada
42. Mangala
43. Tulasi
44. Vrinda
45. Amba bai

Ashta Lakshmi

1. Adi Lakshmi, The ancient form of Lakshmi
2. Dhana Lakshmi, The Money Lakshmi
3. Dhanya Lakshmi, The Grain Lakshmi
4. Gaja Lakshmi, The Elephant Lakshmi
5. Santana Lakshmi, The Progeny Lakshmi
6. Dhairya Lakshmi, The Valarous Lakshmi
7. Vidya Lakshmi, The Knowledge Lakshmi
8. Vijaya Lakshmi, The Victory Lakshmi

Additional forms

In some Ashta Lakshmi lists, other forms of Lakshmi are included,

1. Aishwarya Lakshmi, The Prosperity Lakshmi
2. Saubhagya Lakshmi, The Giver of Good Fortune
3. Rajya Lakshmi, The Royal Lakshmi
4. Vara Lakshmi, The Boon Lakshmi

Saraswati

1. Savitri
2. Vani
3. Brahmani
4. Maha Saraswati
5. Gayatri
6. Vāc
7. Para Saraswati
8. Shatarupa
9. Medha
10. Sharada
11. Bharati
12. Aditi

Rigvedic deities

The Rigveda speaks of Thirty-three gods called the Trayastrinshata ('Three plus thirty'). They consist of the 12 Adityas, the 8 Vasus, the 11 Rudras and the 2 Ashvins. Indra also called Śakra, lord of the gods, is the first of the 33 followed by Agni. Some of these brother gods were invoked in pairs such as Indra-Agni, Mitra-Varuna and Soma-Rudra.

Adityas

• Mitra, the god of oaths, promises, and friendships
• Varuna, the god of water the seas, the oceans, and rain
• Indra, also called Śakra, the king of gods, and the god of weather, storms, rain, and war
• Savitr, the god of the morning sun; associated with Surya
• Aṃśa, solar deity; associated with Surya
• Aryaman the god of customs, hospitality, and marriages
• Bhaga, god of fortune
• Vivasvan, the god of the sun
• Tvāṣṭṛ, the god of architecture and smithing; blacksmith of the gods
• Pūshan, patron god of travellers and herdsmen, god of roads,
• Dhāta, god of health and magic, also called Dhūti
• Vamana avatar of Vishnu

Rudras

Main article: Rudras

The Ramayana tells they are eleven of the 33 children of the sage Kashyapa and his wife Aditi, along with the 12 Adityas, 8 Vasus and 2 Ashvins, constituting the Thirty-three gods. The Vamana Purana describes the Rudras as the sons of Kashyapa and Aditi. The Matsya Purana notes that Surabhi – the mother of all cows and the "cow of plenty" – was the consort of Brahma and their union produced the eleven Rudras. Here they are named: Nirriti, Shambhu, Aparajita, Mrigavyadha, Kapardi, Dahana, Khara, Ahirabradhya, Kapali, Pingala and Senani. Brahma allotted to the Rudras the eleven positions of the heart and the five sensory organs, the five organs of action and the mind.

Vasus

Assistants of Indra and of Vishnu

Main article: Vasu

• Agni the "Fire" god, also called Anala or "living",
• Varuna the "Water" and "Ocean" god, also called Samudradeva or Apa,
• Vāyu the "Wind" and "Air" god, also called Anila ("wind"),
• Dyauṣ the "Sky" god, also called Dyeus and Prabhāsa or the "shining dawn", also called akasha or sky,
• Pṛthivī the "Earth" goddess/god, also called Dharā or "support" and Bhumi or Earth,
• Sūrya the "Sun" god, also called Pratyūsha, ("break of dawn", but often used to mean simply "light"), the Saura sect worshipped Sūrya as their chief deity, also called Anshuman,
• Soma the "Moon" god, also called Chandra,
• Nakshatrani, also called Dhruva or motionless polestar (Polaris) and Prabhasa.

Ashvins

Main article: Aśvins

The Ashvins (also called the Nāsatyas) were twin gods. Nasatya is also the name of one twin, while the other is called Dasra.