List of Hindu deities

Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva seated on lotuses with their consorts Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati

Hinduism is the largest religion in the Indian subcontinent and third largest religion in the world. It comprises five major sects or denominations, Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism, Ganapatism, and Saurism whose followers consider Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti (Devi), Ganesha, and Surya to be the Supreme deity respectively. Smartism sect considers all the above five deities as equal. Most of the other deities were either related to them or different forms (incarnations) of these deities. Hinduism has been called the "oldest religion" in the world, and many practitioners refer to Hinduism as "the eternal law". (Sanātana Dharma). Given below is a list of the chief Hindu deities followed by a list of minor Hindu deities (including demi-gods). Smartism, an older tradition and later reestablished by Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya, invites the worship of more than one god including Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma, Shakti and Ganesha (the elephant faced god) among other gods and goddesses. It is not as overtly sectarian as either Vashnavism, Brahmanism or Shivaism and is based on the recognition that Brahman (God) is the highest principle in the universe and pervades all of existence.

Main deities

The Hindu trinity, also known are 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 the wife of Shiva. The followers of the last two form two major sects.

Brahma

According to Hinduism, Brahma is the creator of the entire cosmic universe of the galalala. Although he is the creator, he is hardly worshipped in modern Hinduism. He is identified with supreme vedic god, Prajapati. He married Saraswati, who emerged to give knowledge to create. Some alternative names for Brahma are

• Vednatha
• Chaturmukha
• Prajapati
• Hiranyagarbha
• Vedagarbha
• Kaushal

Devi (goddess)

Main articles: Devi and Shakti

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/manifestations like Parvati, Durga, and others but there are also goddesses that are parts of Shakti such as Lakshmi and Saraswati. Devi is believed to manifest in peaceful forms, such as Parvati the consort of Shiva 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. Saguna. 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:

• Parvati and her Navadurgas, Matrikas, and Mahavidyas
• 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
• Bhumi, the mother Earth known as Prithvi
• Lakshmi and her Ashtalakshmi, goddess of wealth and wife of lord Vishnu
• Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom and music and also wife of lord Brahma
• Gayatri, the life giving goddess and the 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.
• Narmada, the daughter of Shiva, also goddess of river Narmada
• Annapoorna (incarnation of Goddess Parvati), the goddess of food
• Yami, the sacred river Yamuna and goddess of life
• Sati(first wife of lord Shiva), the adi parasakti early life of Parvati.
• Shashthi, also known as Devasena, wife of Kartikeya and goddess of children and reproduction.
• Savitri (a form of Saraswati), wife of Brahma, born from the left side of Brahma, mother of four Vedas.
• Manasa, daughter of sage Kashyap, sister of Vasuki, wife of sage Jaratkaru, mother of sage Astika and goddess of snakes and fertility.
• Svaha, considered as the goddess of ash and marriage, daughter of Daksha and wife of Agni.
• Dakshina, goddess of yagna, born from the hair follicles of Radha, reborn from goddess Lakshmi and wife of lord Yagna.

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 Bhairavs) 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.

Vishnu

Main article: Vishnu

Vaishnavism is the sect within Hinduism that worships Vishnu, the preserver god of the Hindu Trimurti (the 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:

• 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

Related deities

• Yamuna, the life energy, the daughter of lord Surya and the goddess of clouds Saranyu.
• Ganesha, son of Shiva and Parvati and was also called Ganpati, the Ganapatya sectary 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, son of Shiva and Parvati and was also called Muruga, Karthik, Kumara or Shanmukha, the Kaumaram sectary worshipped Subramanya as their chief deity. He's also the brother of Lord Ganesha.
• Ayyappan, son of Shiva and Mohini(Avatar of god Vishnu) and was also called Manikanta since he has mani(Rudraksha) in kanta(neck).
• Hanuman, one of incarnation of Shiva and devotee of Rama (incarnation of Vishnu) and was also called Anjaneya, since his mother is anjana.
• Ganga, holi river in Hinduism.
• Hansa, the devoted swan who acts as the vahana (vehicle) of Lord Brahma.
• Garuda, the devoted eagle who acts as the vahana (vehicle) of Lord Vishnu and the king of all birds.
• Nandi, the devoted bull who acts as the vahana (vehicle) of Lord Shiva.
• Shani, the son of Sun.
• Shesha, the king of Nagas.

Avatars (Incarnations)

Main article: Avatar

Shakti

Mahadevi

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

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. Chamunda

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. Vakratunda (Vakratuṇḍa) ("twisting trunk"), his mount is an elephant.
2. Ekadanta ("single tusk"), his mount is a mouse.
3. Mahodara ("big belly"), his mount is a mouse.
4. Gajavaktra (or Gajānana) ("elephant face"), his mount is a mouse.
5. Lambodara ("pendulous belly"), his mount is a mouse.
6. Vikata (Vikaṭa) ("unusual form", "misshapen"), his mount is a peacock.
7. Vighnaraja (Vighnarāja) ("king of obstacles"), his mount is the celestial serpent Śeṣa.
8. Dhumravarna (Dhūmravarṇa) ("grey color") corresponds to Śiva, his mount is a horse.

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

Brahma

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

Vishnu

1. Matsya, the fish
2. Kurma, the tortoise
3. Hayagriva, the Half Man-Half Horse
4. Mohini, the enchantress
5. Varaha, the boar
6. Narasimha, the Half Man-Half Lion avatar
7. Vamana, the Dwarf
8. Parashurama, the cosmic Warrior Brahmin
9. Rama, the emperor of Kosala and the hero of the epic Ramayana
10. Krishna, central character in the Mahabharata, the Bhagavata Purana and the Bhagavad Gita. Some texts mention it as Balarama, elder brother of Krishna
11. Sugatha Buddha
12. Kalki, expected to appear at the end of Kali Yuga

Lakshmi

1. Bhargavi
2. Sridevi
3. Sita
4. Radha
5. Ashtabharya
6. Padmavati
7. Vedavati
8. Tulasi
9. Kamala
10. Bhudevi
11. Andal
12. Nila Devi

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. Jaya 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. Mahasaraswati
5. Gayatri
6. Vāc

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 patron god of oaths and of friendship,
• Varuna, the patron god of water and the oceans,
• Indra, also called Śakra, the king of gods, and the god of rains
• Dakṣa,
• Aṃśa,
• Aryaman
• Bhaga, god of wealth
• Vivasvat, also called Ravi or Savitṛ,
• Tvāṣṭṛ, the smith among the gods,
• Pūsan, patron god of travellers and herdsmen, god of roads,
• Dhāt, god of health and magic, also called Dhūti
• Vamana

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" god, also called Antarikṣa the "Atmosphere" or "Space" god,
• Vāyu the "Wind", the air god, also called Anila ("wind")
• Dyauṣ the "Sky" god, also called Dyeus and Prabhāsa or the "shining dawn"
• Pṛthivī the "Earth" god, also called Dharā or "support"
• Sūrya the "Sun" god, also called Pratyūsha, ("break of dawn", but often used to mean simply "light"), the Saura sectary worshipped Sūrya as their chief deity.
• Soma the "Moon" god, also called Chandra
• Samudra the "Sea" god, also called as "Sagar"

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.

Number of deities in Hinduism

Most of the Hindu temples are dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu (including his incarnations Krishna and Rama), Brahma, Shakti (the mother goddess, hence including the forms of Durga and Kali and Parvati, Lakshmi (including her incarnations Sita and Radha etc) The Hindu scriptures claimed that there were 33 Koti or 33 Types gods, koti, in Sanskrit, means crore and “types” (33 कोटि = prakar, tarah ).

As per the context it means to be 33 type (33 koti) including Eight Vasus (deities of material elements) – Dyauṣ "Sky", Pṛthivī "Earth", Vāyu "Wind", Agni "Fire", Nakṣatra "Stars", Varuṇa "Water", Sūrya "Sun", Chandra "Moon" Twelve Ādityas (personified deities) – Vishnu, Aryaman, Indra (Śakra), Tvāṣṭṛ, Varuṇa, Bhaga, Savitṛ, Vivasvat, Aṃśa, Mitra, Pūṣan, Dakṣa.

See also

• List of Hindu fertility deities
• List of Hinduism-related articles
• List of Hindu Empires and Dynasties
• Lists of deities in Sanamahism

Sources

• Parikshitt, Sai (2012). 33 Koti Devata ~ The Concept Of 33 Koti Devata. Speaking Tree.: ' The Vedas refer to not 33 crore Devatas but 33 koti (Koti means types in Sanskrit) of Devatas. They are explained in Shatpath Brahman and many other scriptures very clearly. (In Sanskrit 33 koti means 33 types god's ) [...] .' The number 33 comes from the number of Vedic gods explained by Yajnavalkya in Brhadaranyaka Upanishad – the eight Vasus, the eleven Rudras, the twelve Adityas, Indra and Prajapati. (Chapter I, hymn 9, verse 2) . They are: 8-Vasu, 11-Rudra, and 12-Aaditya, 1-Indra and 1-Prajaapati.
• Brown, Joe David, ed. (1961). India. Time, Inc. popular figure. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help): "Though the popular figure of 330 million is not the result of an actual count but intended to suggest infinity, the Hindu pantheon in fact contains literally hundreds of different deities [...]"
• Knott, Kim (1998). Hinduism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press.
• Nath, Vijay (2001). "From 'Brahmanism' to 'Hinduism': Negotiating the Myth of the Great Tradition". Social Scientist. 29 (3/4): 19–50. doi:10.2307/3518337. JSTOR 3518337.