Deities
Gods, goddesses and divine beings.
A
- Adi LakshmiThe primeval Lakṣmī;
- Adi ParashaktiThe primordial supreme power;
- Adi ShaktiIn Shakta Hindu theology, the primordial feminine power held to be the source, sustaining for…
- AditiThe boundless;
- AgniAgni is the Vedic and Hindu god of fire, addressed in the opening hymn of the Rigveda as the…
- AgniFire;
- AiravataAiravata is the divine white elephant that carries Indra, king of the Vedic gods, and ranks a…
- AiravataThe white four-tusked elephant;
- AmarnathShiva worshipped as the ice-liṅga that forms each year in the Himalayan cave.
- AmbikaThe Mother;
- AmshaĀditya of the share due to gods and worshippers.
- AnalaVasu of fire.
- AnantaGuardian of the nadir;
- AngalammanThe fierce guardian mother-goddess of the cremation ground.
- AnilaVasu of wind.
- AnnapurnaGoddess of food and nourishment, who fed even Shiva.
- ApsarasApsaras are celestial female beings of Hindu and Buddhist mythology, renowned as divine dance…
- AranyaniGoddess of the forest and its wild solitude.
- AravanSon of Arjuna, worshipped as Kūttāṇṭavar by the Aravani community.
- ArdhanarishvaraHalf Shiva, half Parvati;
- ArundhatiWife of Vasiṣṭha;
- AryamanĀditya of customs, hospitality and marriage.
- Ashapura Mata“Fulfiller of hopes”;
- AshokasundariDaughter of Shiva and Parvati in Purāṇic lore.
- AshvinsTwin horsemen;
- AyyanarGuardian-god who rides the village bounds at night on a terracotta horse.
- AyyappaBorn of Shiva and Mohini;
B
- BagalamukhiThe paralysing goddess who stills speech and enemies.
- Bahuchara MataGoddess on a rooster;
- BalabhadraElder brother of Jagannath;
- BalaramaKrishna’s elder brother;
- BanasuraThe thousand-armed demon-devotee of Shiva.
- BathouBwrai Bathou, the supreme god of the Bodo people, worshipped through the sijou plant.
- BhagaĀditya of fortune, wealth and just apportionment.
- BhairavaThe terrifying guardian of sacred sites;
- BhairaviThe fierce goddess of decay and transformative power.
- BhandasuraThe demon born of ashes, destroyed by Lalitā.
- BhavaniThe life-giving goddess;
- BhikshatanaThe naked wandering mendicant form.
- BhudeviThe Earth goddess;
- BhuvaneshwariQueen and mother of the manifest universe.
- BirajaThe ancient goddess of Jajpur;
- Bonbibi“Lady of the forest”;
- BrahmaBrahma is the creator deity of the Hindu Trimurti, traditionally depicted with four heads rep…
- BrahmachariniBrahmacharini is the second of the Navadurga, the nine forms of the goddess Durga worshipped…
- BrahmaniPower of Brahma;
- BrihaspatiPreceptor of the gods;
- BuddhaCounted as an avatar in many lists (Balarāma replaces him in others).
- BudhaMercury;
C
- ChamundaChamunda is a fierce form of the Hindu goddess Durga, described in the Devi Mahatmya as emerg…
- ChamundeshwariThe lion-riding goddess of Mysore, slayer of Mahiṣa on Chamundi Hill.
- ChandiThe fierce goddess of the Devī Māhātmya.
- ChandraThe Moon;
- ChandraghantaChandraghanta is the third of the Navadurga, the nine forms of the goddess Durga invoked on s…
- ChhayaChhaya (Chāyā, "shadow") is a goddess in Hindu mythology, the shadow-substitute wife of the s…
- ChinnamastaThe self-decapitated goddess;
- ChintpurniChinnamastikā of Una;
- ChitraguptaThe scribe of Yama who records every deed of every soul.
D
- Dakshin RaiThe tiger-god and lord of the Sundarbans, rival tamed by Bonbibi.
- DakshinamurtiThe silent guru facing south;
- DattatreyaCombined avatar of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva;
- DevasThe shining gods as a class;
- Dhana LakshmiGoddess of monetary wealth.
- DhanvantariPhysician of the gods;
- Dhanya LakshmiGoddess of grain and the harvest.
- DharaVasu of the earth.
- Dhari DeviThe guardian-goddess of the Alaknanda, protectress of Uttarakhand.
- DharmathakurFormless village god of lower Bengal, worshipped as a shapeless stone.
- DhatriĀditya of health, domestic ritual and creation.
- DhruvaVasu of the pole star;
- DhumavatiThe widow-goddess of smoke, void and the unmanifest.
- DitiMother of the Daityas;
- Doni-PoloThe Sun (Donyi) and Moon (Polo), supreme deities of several Arunachal peoples.
- DraupadiQueen of the Pāṇḍavas;
- Draupadi AmmanDraupadī deified as a fire-walking village goddess.
- DurgaThe invincible warrior-goddess, lion-riding, wielder of every divine weapon.
- DwarkadhishKrishna as king of Dwārka.
- DyausThe sky father;
E
G
- Gaja LakshmiLakṣmī flanked by elephants;
- GanasThe dwarfish, motley attendants of Shiva, led by Gaṇeśa.
- GandharvasGandharvas are a class of male celestial beings in Hindu and Buddhist tradition associated ch…
- GaneshaElephant-headed remover of obstacles;
- GangaThe Ganges;
- GangadharaBearer of the river Gaṅgā in his matted locks.
- GangammaThe fierce village mother of the Tirupati country, honoured in the jātara.
- GarudaThe divine eagle;
- GauriThe radiant, golden form of Parvati.
- GodavariThe “Ganges of the South”;
- GogajiThe snake-god and folk-hero of Rajasthan, invoked against serpents.
- Golu DevtaThe god of justice of Kumaon, whose shrines are hung with petition-bells and letters.
- GopalaKrishna the cowherd;
- GulikanA Theyyam deity of death and time, a form of Yama-Kāla.
- GuruvayurappaThe child-Krishna form enshrined at Guruvayur.
H
- HamsaThe swan avatar who imparted supreme knowledge to the sages.
- HarsiddhiThe Śākta goddess of Ujjain and coastal Gujarat.
- HayagrivaHorse-headed restorer of the stolen Vedas;
- Hidimba DeviThe demoness-wife of Bhīma, worshipped as goddess at Manali.
- HiranyakashipuThe invincible tyrant slain by Narasiṃha.
- HiranyakshaWho dragged the earth into the sea;
- HuligemmaThe tiger-riding goddess of northern Karnataka.
I
J
- Jagannath“Lord of the Universe”;
- JalandharaThe mighty asura born of Shiva’s wrath.
- JhulelalJhulelal is the patron deity of the Sindhi community, worshipped by Sindhi Hindus as an incar…
- Jwala JiThe goddess worshipped as ever-burning natural flames in Himachal.
- JyotibaThe hill-god of Wadi Ratnagiri, a form of Kedāranātha.
K
- KalaratriKalaratri is the seventh of the nine forms of Durga worshipped during Navaratri, a fierce asp…
- KaliThe dark, fierce goddess of time;
- KalkiThe future avatar on a white horse, to end the Kali age.
- KamadevaThe god of love, who looses flower-arrows of desire.
- KamadhenuThe wish-fulfilling cow, mother of all cattle.
- KamakhyaThe bleeding mother-goddess of the Nīlācala hill;
- KamakshiThe goddess of Kanchipuram, eyes full of desire and grace.
- KamalaThe lotus goddess;
- KanyakumariThe virgin goddess at India’s southern tip.
- KapilaSage-avatar;
- Karni MataThe warrior-sage goddess of Deshnoke, whose temple honours sacred rats.
- KartikeyaKartikeya, also known as Skanda, Murugan, and Subrahmanya, is the Hindu god of war and comman…
- KaruppasamiThe “black god”;
- KatyayaniKatyayani is a warrior form of the Hindu goddess Durga, worshipped on the sixth day (Shashthi…
- KaumariPower of Kārttikeya;
- KaveriLife-giving river-goddess of the Tamil country.
- Kechai Khaiti“Eater of raw flesh”;
- KetuThe severed tail;
- KhandobaWarrior-god on horseback, a folk form of Shiva;
- Khatu ShyamKhatu Shyam is a Hindu deity worshipped chiefly in Rajasthan as a form of Barbarika, a Mahabh…
- Kheer BhawaniRāgnyā Devī of Tulmul, whose sacred spring changes colour;
- KhodiyarThe crocodile-riding warrior-goddess of Gujarat.
- KinnarasHalf-human, half-bird celestial musicians.
- Kodungallur BhagavathyThe fierce Bhadrakālī of Kodungallur;
- KrishnaKrishna is a central deity of Hinduism, worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and, in man…
- KuberaGuardian of the North;
- KurmaThe tortoise;
- KushmandaKushmanda is the fourth of the Navadurga, the nine forms of the goddess Durga worshipped acro…
- KuttichathanA mischievous child-spirit deity of the household and grove.
L
M
- Maa TariniThe widely-worshipped goddess of Ghatgaon, honoured by a stone face of red.
- Madurai VeeranThe deified warrior-hero and guardian of the Madurai country.
- MahabaliThe virtuous demon-king sent to the underworld;
- MahadevaThe Great God;
- MahagauriMahagauri is the eighth of the Navadurga, the nine forms of the goddess Durga worshipped on s…
- MahakalaGreat Time and Death;
- MahalakshmiAmbābāī of Kolhapur;
- Mahasu DevtaMahasu Devta is a group of four brother deities worshipped as ruling gods (devtas) across the…
- MaheshvariPower of Shiva;
- MahishasuraThe buffalo-demon slain by Durga.
- MahishasuramardiniDurga as slayer of the buffalo-demon Mahiṣāsura.
- Male MahadeshwaraThe hill-god of the M.
- ManasaThe serpent-goddess;
- MangalaMars;
- MangalaVillage mother-goddess of Kakatpur and coastal Odisha.
- MangalchandiA benign folk form of Caṇḍī, goddess of household welfare.
- ManjunathaThe form of Shiva enshrined at Dharmasthala.
- MariammanGoddess of rain, fertility and disease;
- MarutsThe storm-troop;
- MatangiThe outcaste goddess of speech, music and forbidden knowledge.
- MatsyaThe fish;
- MeenakshiThe fish-eyed warrior-queen goddess of Madurai.
- MenakaApsara sent to break the penance of Viśvāmitra.
- MhasobaA fierce village guardian-god of the Maharashtrian countryside.
- MitraGod of friendship, contracts and the light of day.
- MohiniVishnu’s female form;
- MrikanduMrikandu (Mṛkaṇḍu) is a sage of Puranic Hindu tradition, known principally as the father of t…
- MuniswaranA guardian-god of the boundaries, a folk form of Shiva.
- MuthappanThe hunter-and-toddy god of Parassinikadavu, worshipped through Theyyam.
N
- NagasNagas are serpent deities and semi-divine beings in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain tradition, wors…
- Naina DeviThe eye-goddess of the Śakti Pīṭha above Bilaspur.
- Nanda DeviThe mountain-goddess of Uttarakhand, honoured in the great Rāj Jāt pilgrimage.
- NandiThe bull;
- NarakasuraThe demon of Prāgjyotiṣa slain by Krishna.
- Nara-NarayanaThe twin sages;
- NarasimhaThe man-lion;
- NarayanaThe cosmic Vishnu reclining on the causal waters, source of all.
- NarmadaThe self-born river of central India, holy to Shiva.
- NatarajaLord of the cosmic dance (tāṇḍava), dancing creation and destruction.
- NavadurgaNavadurga are the nine forms of the goddess Durga worshipped across the nine nights of Navara…
- NilakanthaThe blue-throated one, who held the world-poison in his throat.
- NirritiGuardian of the Southwest;
P
- PabujiThe deified Rathore hero, protector of camels and cattle.
- PadmanabhaThe lotus-naveled reclining Vishnu of Thiruvananthapuram.
- PanchanandaA rustic five-faced folk form of Shiva in rural Bengal.
- ParashuramaThe axe-wielding warrior-sage who humbled the unrighteous kings.
- ParjanyaThe rain-cloud god;
- Partha-sarathiKrishna as Arjuna’s charioteer at Kurukṣetra.
- ParvatiGoddess of power and devotion;
- PashupatiLord of animals and all souls;
- PitrsThe deified ancestors, honoured in the śrāddha rites.
- PochammaThe Telugu village goddess of pox and protection.
- PrabhasaVasu of dawn-light and splendour.
- PrahladaThe demon-prince and supreme devotee of Vishnu.
- PrajapatiLord of creatures;
- PrithuThe first sovereign king, who “milked” the earth to abundance.
- PrithviPrithvi is the Vedic and Hindu goddess personifying the earth, worshipped from the earliest S…
- PushanNourisher and guardian of roads, herds and travellers.
R
- RadhaKrishna’s beloved;
- Radha-KrishnaThe united divine couple;
- RahuThe severed head;
- RaktabijaWhose every drop of blood spawned a clone;
- RambhaCelebrated apsara of Indra’s court.
- RamdevjiFolk-deity and saint of Ranuja, revered across caste and creed.
- RanganathaThe reclining Vishnu of Srirangam;
- RatiGoddess of desire and pleasure;
- RatriThe goddess of night.
- RishabhaAscetic king-avatar;
- RudraThe fierce, howling Vedic storm-god from whom Shiva emerges.
- RukminiKrishna’s chief queen at Dwārka;
S
- SachiQueen of heaven;
- SadashivaThe five-faced supreme Shiva of the Āgamas.
- SamaleswariThe presiding mother-goddess of western Odisha at Sambalpur.
- Sammakka & SaralammaTribal mother and daughter goddesses of the great Medaram jātara.
- SandhyaGoddess of the ritual twilight junctures.
- Santana LakshmiGoddess of progeny and family.
- SaptashrungiThe eighteen-armed goddess of the seven peaks near Nashik.
- SaraswatiSaraswati is the Hindu goddess of wisdom, learning, speech, music and the arts, worshipped si…
- SatiSati is the Hindu goddess who, as the first wife of Shiva, immolated herself in protest at he…
- SatiShiva’s first consort, who immolated herself at Dakṣa’s sacrifice.
- SatyabhamaKrishna’s warrior-queen;
- SatyanarayanaThe “true lord”;
- SavitrThe solar impeller;
- SavitriWho won her husband back from Yama through devotion.
- ShailaputriShailaputri is the first of the nine forms of Durga (Navadurga) worshipped on the opening nig…
- ShaniShani is the Hindu deity of the planet Saturn and one of the Navagrahas, revered as an impart…
- SharabhaThe part-lion, part-bird form that subdued Narasiṃha’s fury.
- SharadaThe goddess of learning of ancient Kashmir, of the Śāradā Pīṭha.
- Sharika DeviThe eighteen-armed goddess of Hari Parbat in Srinagar.
- ShashthiCat-riding goddess of children and childbirth.
- ShitalaThe “cool one” who governs and cures smallpox and fever.
- ShivaShiva is one of the principal deities of Hinduism, worshipped as the destroyer within the Tri…
- Shumbha and NishumbhaShumbha and Nishumbha are two asura brothers whose conquest of the heavens and defeat by the…
- SiddhasPerfected beings possessing spiritual powers.
- SiddhidatriSiddhidatri is the ninth and final form of Durga in the Navadurga sequence, worshipped on the…
- SkandamataSkandamātā, mother of Skanda, is the fifth of the Navadurga — the nine forms of the goddess D…
- SomaThe sacred draught and the moon;
- SrinathjiKrishna lifting Govardhana;
- SubhadraSister of Jagannath and Balabhadra;
- Sudalai MadanThe cremation-ground god, a fierce son of Shiva in folk belief.
- SudarshanaThe deified discus of Vishnu, worshipped as a pillar in the Puri triad.
- SuryaSurya is the principal solar deity of Hinduism, worshipped in the Vedas as the source of ligh…
- SvahaThe oblation-cry personified;
T
- TamreswariThe copper-temple goddess of Sadiya, of Chutia worship.
- TaraThe star;
- TarakasuraThe demon slain by Kārttikeya, born for that purpose.
- TejajiThe Jat warrior-saint, worshipped as a god who cures snakebite.
- TilottamaApsara fashioned from the finest particle of every beautiful thing.
- TripurantakaDestroyer of the three demon-cities with a single arrow.
- TulsiThe sacred basil deified;
- TvashtarThe heavenly artisan who forged Indra’s thunderbolt.
- The Twelve ĀdityasSolar sovereigns — Mitra, Varuṇa, Aryaman, Bhaga, Dhātṛ, Aṃśa, Vivasvān, Savitṛ, Tvaṣṭṛ, Pūṣa…
U
V
- VacThe goddess of sacred speech and the creative word.
- VaishnaviPower of Vishnu;
- Vaishno DeviThe mountain goddess of the Trikūṭa hills, worshipped as three piṇḍis.
- VamanaThe dwarf brahmin;
- VarahaThe boar;
- VarahiPower of Varāha;
- VarunaGuardian of cosmic order (ṛta) and the waters;
- VasudevaThe supreme indwelling Vishnu;
- VasukiKing of the nāgas;
- VayuVāyu is the Vedic and Hindu god of wind and breath, one of the Pañca Bhūta (five elements), i…
- VayuThe wind;
- Veera LakshmiGoddess of valour and courage.
- VenkateshwaraLord of the Seven Hills at Tirupati;
- VetalThe lord of spirits (Vetāḷa), a guardian folk deity of the Konkan.
- Vettakkorumakan“The son born for the hunt”;
- Vidya LakshmiGoddess of knowledge and learning.
- VidyadharasSky-dwelling magicians and keepers of esoteric knowledge.
- Vijaya LakshmiGoddess of victory.
- VirabhadraThe towering warrior born of Shiva’s wrath at Dakṣa’s sacrifice.
- VishnuViṣṇu is one of the principal deities of Hinduism, worshipped as the Preserver of the Trimūrt…
- VishnumayaChāthan;
- VishvadevasThe “all-gods”;
- VishvakarmaThe divine architect and craftsman of the gods.
- VishvaksenaCommander of Vishnu’s forces;
- VithobaThe arms-akimbo Krishna of Pandharpur;
- VritraThe primordial serpent of drought, slain by Indra.