Gallery of Popular Hindu Deities All imgages supplied courtesy of Vishvarupa.com

Ganesha Ganesh is the Ever-Blissful, elephant-headed deva (god) who is lovingly worshipped and revered by millions of people worldwide. The son of Shiva and Parvati, Shree Ganesh, is the God of Good Luck and Auspiciousness and is the Dispeller of problems and obstacles. He is also worshipped as the God of wisdom, wealth, health, celibacy, fertility and happiness. In the panchayatana puja, Ganesh is glorified as one of the five prime Hindu deities (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti and Ganesha) whose worship confers immortality and liberation.

Krishna Krishna (Krsna) is the Ever-Blissful Embodiment of Transcendent Beauty who captivates the hearts and minds of all beings. The deep devotion for Krishna is realized through Krishna's Divine Opulances. Krishna plays the flute ~ particularly at night ~ exuding sweet fragrances of sandlewood and jasmine and glowing in divine splendor. This symbolizes Krsna calling out to all Jivas who are lost in the night of samsara. The Jivas are attached to sensory objects so God assumes a Form that captivates and attracts the senses of all beings. The result is a sacred love and ardent devotion that purifies and illumines. Krish´na can mean several things: Dark Complexioned, Cloud Colored, Black, Strong, Erotic, All Attractive, Blissful, Existence-Knowledge-Bliss. In "kr-s-na", the root "kr" indicates "existence" and the syllable "na" indicates "bliss".

Shiva Shiva literally means "auspiciousness, welfare". He is the third god of the Hindu Triad and is the destroyer of all evil. He represents darkness (tamas), and is said to be the 'angry god'. However, according to Hinduism, creation follows destruction. Therefore Shiva is also regarded as a reproductive power, which restores what has been dissolved. Shiva is believed to exist in many forms. His most common depiction is as a dark-skinned ascetic with a blue throat and is usually seated cross-legged on a tiger skin, with the tiger skin representing the mind. Shiva is inseparable from Shakti - Parvati. There is no Shiva without Shakti and no Shakti without Shiva, the two are one - or the absolute state of being - consciousness and bliss.

Ma Durga The 'Mother' is the manifestation of the Absolute Energy that pervades the Universe. As 'Durga' sitting on a Lion, Mother is a Manifestation of 'Shakti' or the Primordial Energy. The Power to breathe, walk, digest etc, comes from Ma Durga. As Lakshmi She is abundance. Not only material, but of Air, Land, Space etc. The fact that one has understood what one has read so far is due to the Grace of Ma Saraswati. She is the 'OM', from where all sound emanates. 'Ma' is the 'Garbha' (Womb) from where the Universe manifests. The word 'Garba' stems from 'Garbha' and symbolises the 'Dance of Creation' Mother holds us in her arms when we feel dejected, gives us various gifts from time to time, but admonishes us when we cross our line. There are various Mantras which are recited to revere the 'Mother' or 'Ma' as every devout Hindu calls Her.

Vishnu Vishnu is a form of God, in Hinduism. In Trimurti concept (sometimes called the Hindu Trinity), he is the second aspect of God (the others being Brahma and Shiva). Known as the Preserver, he is most famously identified with his avatars, or incarnations, especially Krishna and Rama. He is also frequently referred to as Narayana. Smartas, who follow Advaita philosophy, believe that deities such as Vishnu or Shiva are various forms of one ultimate higher power ("Brahman"), which has no specific form, name, face or features. Vaishnavism however believes that God can transcend all personal characteristics yet can also have personal characteristics for the grace of the human devotee.

Sita / Rama Ramachandra, simply known as Rama, was a king of ancient India and is the Seventh Avatara of Vishnu, and one of the most important manifestations of God in Hinduism. Rama's courage in searching for Sita and fighting a terrible war to rescue his wife and their honour is complemented by Sita's absolute devotion to her husband's love, and perfect chastity despite being Ravana's captive. Rama's younger brothers, namely Lakshmana, Shatrughna and Bharata strongly complement his piety, virtue and strength, and they are believed by many to belong to the Mariyada Purshottama and the Seventh Avatara, mainly embodied by Rama. Rama's piety and virtue attract powerful and devoted allies such as Hanuman and the Vanaras of Kishkindha, with whose help he rescues Sita. The legend of Rama is deeply influential and popular in the societies of the Indian subcontinent and across South East Asia. Rama is revered for his unending compassion, courage and devotion to religious values and duty.

Hanuman In the Hindu faith, Hanuman, known also as 'Anjaneya', is one of the most important personalities in the epic, the Ramayana. Hanuman is the epitome of wisdom, brahmacharya, bhakti (devotion/faith), valour, righteousness and strength. He is symbolized in Hinduism for his unwavering dedication to righteousness, unstinting performance of entrusted duties, and unfailing talents in serving his chosen master. His indispensable role in reuniting Rama with Sita is likened by some to that of a teacher helping an individual soul realise the divine. While the uninitiated may find it odd to worship "a monkey", to believers, the idea is to revere and worship him for the astounding attributes he represents — attributes that even most humans find impossible to practice. It is also held that while Rama did what he believed to be dharma, Hanuman acts out of compassion.

Saraswati Saraswati is a Hindu goddess of learning. She is the goddess of speech, the Flowing-One. She represents the union of power and intelligence from which organized creation arises. Saraswati posseses all the learnings of the the Vedas, scriptures, dancing, musical power and poetry. She revealed language and writing to man. Her origin is the lost Vedic river Saraswati. This is the source of her profound connection to fluidity in any aspect (water, speech, thought, etc.). She is wisdom, fortune, intelligence, nourishment, brilliance, contentment, splendour and devotion. The connection one forms with Sarasvati is one with words and music, which are the very source of the cosmos, the Brahman. She is the impeller of true, sweet speech, she is the creative process with the syllable, ‘OM.’ She is the potent quality of sound.

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