Pantheon
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549 entries
These three are recorded for the Hindu pantheon as a whole. The archive holds no separate culture, civilization or period for the individual entries below.
Page 5 of 6
Showing 433–540 of 549, alphabetically.
Shani, or Shanaishchara, is the divine personification of the planet Saturn in Hinduism, and is one of the nine heavenly objects (Navagraha) in Hindu astrology. Shani is also a male Hindu deity in the Puranas, whose iconography consists of a figure with a dark complexion carrying a sword or danda (sceptre) and sitting on a buffalo or some times on a crow. He is the god of karma, justice, time and retribution, and delivers results depending upon one's thoughts, speech, and deeds.
Shantadurga is the most popular form of the Hindu goddess Durga revered in Goa, India, as well some parts of Karnataka. She is a form of the ancient Mother goddess known as Santeri. She is worshipped in almost all villages of Goa & Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra as an ant hill.
Sharabha or Sarabha is an eight-legged part-lion and part-bird deity in Hindu religion, who is described as more powerful than a lion or an elephant, possessing the ability to clear a valley in one jump in Sanskrit literature. In later literature, Sharabha is described as an eight-legged deer.
Shashthi, Shashti, Soshthi or Chhathi is a Hindu goddess, venerated in India and Nepal as the benefactor and protector of children. She is also the deity of vegetation and reproduction and is believed to bestow children and assist during childbirth. She is often pictured as a motherly figure, riding a cat and nursing one or more infants.
Shasta is a Hindu deity, described as the son of the deities Shiva and Mohini, Vishnu's female avatar. In South India, he is identified with the Ayyanar, Nattarayan or Sattan in Tamil Nadu, as Ayyanayake in Sinhala and the Ayyappan in Kerala. His principal function is to act as a kuladevata of a given clan, as well as act as a guardian of a village's boundaries.
Shesha, also known by his epithets Sheshanaga and Adishesha, is a serpentine demigod (naga) and king of the serpents (Nagaraja), as well as a primordial being of creation in Hinduism. In the Puranas, Shesha is said to hold all the planets of the universe on his hoods and to constantly sing the glories of Vishnu from all his mouths. He is sometimes referred to as Ananta or Ananta Shesha.
Shitala lit. 'coolness', also spelled as Sheetala, śītalā and Seetla, is a Hindu goddess venerated primarily in North India. She is regarded to be an incarnation of the goddess Parvati.
Shiva, also known as Mahadeva and Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hinduism.
The Shiva Purana (original Sanskrit title: Śivapurāṇa and Śivamahāpurāṇa is one of eighteen major texts of the Purana genre of Sanskrit texts in Hinduism, and part of the Shaivism literature corpus. It primarily revolves around the Hindu god Shiva and goddess Parvati, but references and reveres all gods.
The Shiva Stuti, is a famous stuti (poem) composed by Narayana Panditacharya in praise of the deity Shiva written in the Prithvi metre. Stuti means eulogy, singing praise, panegyric and to praise the virtues, deeds, and nature of God.
Shivaduti is a manifestation of the Hindu mother goddess Adi Parashakti.
Shivaduti is a manifestation of the Hindu mother goddess Adi Parashakti.
Shuddadvaita is the "purely non-dual" philosophy propounded by the Hindu philosopher Vallabha, the founder of Puṣṭimārga, a Vaishnava tradition focused on the worship of the deity Krishna.
Siddhidhatri or Siddhidatri is a form of the Hindu goddess Mahadevi, venerated as the goddess of siddhi. She is the ninth and last of the Navadurga, and is worshipped on the ninth day of Navaratri.
Sinivali is a Vedic goddess, mentioned in two hymns of the Rigveda, in RV 2. 32 and RV 10. 184.
Sita, also known as Siya, Jānaki and Maithili, is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic Ramayana. Sita is the consort of Rama, the avatar of god Vishnu, and is regarded as an avatar of goddess Lakshmi. She is the chief goddess of the Ramanandi Sampradaya and is the goddess of beauty and devotion.
The Skanda Purana is the largest Mukhyapurāṇa, a genre of eighteen Hindu religious texts. The text contains over 81,000 verses, and is of Shaivite literature, titled after Skanda, a son of Shiva and Parvati. While the text is named after Skanda, he does not feature either more or less prominently in this text than in other Shiva-related Puranas.
Skandamata is a form of the Hindu goddess Mahadevi, venerated as the mother of the war god Kartikeya, also called Skanda. She is the fifth of the Navadurga, and is worshipped on the fifth day of Navaratri.
The Smarta tradition is a movement in Hinduism that developed and expanded with the Puranas genre of literature. It reflects a synthesis of four philosophical strands, namely Uttara Mīmāṃsā, Advaita, Yoga, and theism. The Smarta tradition rejects theistic sectarianism, and is notable for the domestic worship of five shrines with five deities, all treated as equal – Ganesha, Shiva, Shakti, Vishnu and Surya.
The Smarta tradition is a movement in Hinduism that developed and expanded with the Puranas genre of literature. It reflects a synthesis of four philosophical strands, namely Uttara Mīmāṃsā, Advaita, Yoga, and theism. The Smarta tradition rejects theistic sectarianism, and is notable for the domestic worship of five shrines with five deities, all treated as equal – Ganesha, Shiva, Shakti, Vishnu and Surya.
Chandra, also known as Soma, is the Hindu god of the Moon, and is associated with the night, plants and vegetation. He is one of the Navagraha and Dikpala.
Somalamma, also called Somanalamma and Somanayaki Amma, is a Hindu devi (goddess) who protects soma and gives soma to her devotees to relieve their health and mental symptoms.
Sri Aurobindo was an Indian philosopher, yogi and nationalist, who is noted for his participation in the movement for India's independence from British rule, he advocated for complete autonomy through his writings and political activity. Following his imprisonment and acquittal, he withdrew to Pondicherry to devote himself to spiritual practice, eventually formulating the path of Integral Yoga. His extensive literary output includes the treatises The Life Divine and The Synthesis of Yoga and the epic poem Savitri.
Sri Ramalinga Chowdeshwari Amman, also known as Sowdeshwari, is a Hindu folk deity, regarded by adherents to be a regional form of either Mahadevi considered to be the Kuladevata of the Devanga people.
Sripada Sri Vallabha is an Indian guru who is an incarnation of Dattatreya. He is considered as one of the first complete avatars (incarnations) of the deity Dattatreya in Kali Yuga. Narasimha Saraswati, Manik Prabhu, Swami Samarth,Sai Baba of Shirdi believed to be other incarnations of Dattatreya that followed Sripada Sri Vallabha.
Sripadaraja or Sripadaraya, also known by his pontifical name Lakshminarayana Tirtha, was a Hindu Dvaita philosopher, scholar and composer and the pontiff of the Madhvacharya mutt at Mulbagal. He is widely considered the founder of Haridasa movement along with Narahari Tirtha. He has influenced both Carnatic music and Hindustani music through his compositions.
Hindu temple architecture as the main form of Hindu architecture has many different styles, though the basic nature of the Hindu temple remains the same, with the essential feature an inner sanctum, the garbha griha or womb-chamber, where the primary Murti or the image of a deity is housed in a simple bare cell. For rituals and prayers, this chamber frequently has an open space that can be moved in a clockwise direction. There are frequently additional buildings and structures in the vicinity of this chamber, with the largest ones covering several acres.
Subhadra is a figure in Hindu tradition, particularly revered in Vaishnavism as the sister of the deities Krishna and Balarama. She is mentioned in ancient Hindu scriptures, including the epic Mahabharata and the Bhagavata Purana. A princess of the Vrishni clan and the daughter of Vasudeva, Subhadra married the Pandava prince Arjuna and became the mother of Abhimanyu.
Surasa also Siras is a Hindu goddess, who is described as the mother of the Uragas. Her most popular tale appears in the Hindu epic Ramayana, where she is tasked to test the god Hanuman on his way to Lanka.
Surya is the Sun as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchayatana puja and a means to realise Brahman. Throughout Indian literature, Surya has been given multiple epitaphs such as Ravi, Vaivasvat, Bhāskara, etc.
Surya Majapahit is the emblem commonly found in ruins dated from the Majapahit era. The emblem commonly took the form of an eight-pointed sun ray with the rounded part in the center depicting Hindu deities. The emblem might have taken the form of a cosmological diagram haloed by typical sun rays, or a simple circle with typical sun rays.
Suswani Mataji also known as Susani Mata or Susvani Mata is a regional Hindu as well Jain goddess, popular in Rajasthan state of India. She is regarded as incarnation of Durga and worshipped by many Jain and Hindu communities.
Svaha is a Sanskrit term in Indian religions which refers to a goddess and also to a kind of incantation used in mantras and rituals.
Shree Swasthani is a Hindu goddess (Parameshwari) and is responsible for the good fortune, welfare and power. She is mostly worshipped in Nepal in the holy month from poush Shukla purnima to magh Shukla purnima with dedicated rituals. Following such rituals within this holy month brought many wishes to be fruitful for many.
The swastika is a ancient cross-cultural geometrical symbol that has been used in many cultures and religions of Eurasia, as well as a few in Africa and the Americas, for thousands of years. The swastika was and continues to be used as a symbol of divinity and spirituality in several religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. In the Western world, it is predominantly associated with Nazism, being appropriated and widely displayed in Nazi symbolism.
Taleju also venerated as Taleju Bhavani and Taleju Maju, is a goddess worshipped in Nepal as the revered form of the Hindu goddess Durga. She served as the royal tutelary deity (kuladevi) of the Malla dynasty rulers in the Kathmandu Valley. Her principal shrine is the Taleju Temple in Kathmandu Durbar Square, one of Nepal’s most culturally and historically significant Hindu temples.
Tapati is a goddess in Hinduism. She is known also as the goddess of the river Tapati and mother-goddess of the south where she brings heat to the earth. According to Hindu texts, Tapati is the daughter of Surya, the sun god, and Chhaya, one of the wives of Surya.
Tārā is the Hindu goddess of felicity and sanguineness. She is also known as the "Wisdom Goddess" in Nepal and Tibet. Tara is the consort of Hindu god Brihaspati, the god of planet Jupiter.
In the Shaivism and Shaktism tradition of Hinduism, the goddess Tara is the second of the ten Mahavidyas. She is considered a form of Adishakti, the tantric manifestation of Parvati. Her three most famous forms are Ekajaṭā, Ugratara, and Nīlasarasvatī.
Tarpana or Tarpaṇa is a term in the Vedic practice that refers to an offering made to divine entities. It refers to the act of offering as well as the substance used in the offering. Tilatarpana is a specific form of tarpana involving libations offered to the pitri using water and sesame seeds during Pitru Paksha or as a death rite.
According to various Indian schools of philosophy, tattvas are the elements or aspects of reality that constitute human experience. In some traditions, they are conceived as an aspect of the Indian deities. Although the number of tattvas varies depending on the philosophical school, together they are thought to form the basis of all our experience.
Teej is a collective term for three Hindu festivals dedicated to the goddess Parvati and her consort Shiva. It is mainly celebrated by married women and unmarried girls, to pray for the long life of their husband or future husband and to welcome the arrival of the monsoon through singing, swinging, dancing, joyous celebration, pūjā, and often fasting.
Temblai Devi or Tryamboli is form of Renuka devi, an incarnation of Goddess Durga and the presiding deity of temple located on a hilltop in the eastern part of Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India.
The Buddha is considered the ninth avatar among the ten major avatars of the god Vishnu, according to the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism.
The Thirty-three gods, or Trayastrimshaddevas, is a pantheon of Rigvedic deities of the current manvantara. The Samhitas, which are the oldest layer of text in the Vedas, enumerate 33 deities classified as Devas, 11 each for the three worlds. They are grouped as 12 Adityas, 11 Rudras, eight Vasus and two Ashvins in the Brahmanas.
Tiksha or titikṣā is defined by the Uddhava Gita as the "patient endurance of suffering. " In Vedanta philosophy it is the bearing with indifference all opposites such as pleasure and pain, heat and cold, expectation of reward and punishment, accruement or gain and loss, vanity and envy, resentment and deprecation, fame and obscurity, lavishness and obeisance, pride and egotism, virtue-respect and vice-respect, birth and death, happiness, safety, comfort, restlessness and boredom, affection and bereavement or infatuation, attachment and desire etc. Being entirely responsible for encouragement and/or reproach for ones own personal behaviour, past behaviour, the frame of mind and esteem.
The Thirty-three gods, or Trayastrimshaddevas, is a pantheon of Rigvedic deities of the current manvantara. The Samhitas, which are the oldest layer of text in the Vedas, enumerate 33 deities classified as Devas, 11 each for the three worlds. They are grouped as 12 Adityas, 11 Rudras, eight Vasus and two Ashvins in the Brahmanas.
The Trimurti is the triple deity of supreme divinity in Hinduism, in which the cosmic functions of creation, preservation, and destruction are personified as a triad of deities. Typically, the designations are that of Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer.
The Tridevi form a trinity of supreme divinity in Hinduism, combining a triad of eminent goddesses either as a feminine version of the Trimurti, or as consorts of a masculine Trimurti, depending on the denomination. This triad is typically personified by the Hindu goddesses Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Parvati. In Shaktism, these triune goddesses are the manifestations of Mula-Prakriti or Mahadevi.
Trijata is a rakshasi (demoness) in the Hindu epic Ramayana who is assigned the duty of guarding goddess Sita who was kidnapped by the demon-king of Lanka Ravana. In later adaptions of Ramayana, Trijata is described as a daughter of Vibhishana, the brother of Ravana.
The Trimurti is the triple deity of supreme divinity in Hinduism, in which the cosmic functions of creation, preservation, and destruction are personified as a triad of deities. Typically, the designations are that of Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer.
Tripura Sundari, also known as Lalita, Shodashi, Kamakshi, and Rajarajeshvari, is a Hindu goddess revered primarily within the Shaktism tradition and recognized as one of the ten Mahavidyas. She embodies the essence of the supreme goddess Mahadevi. Central to the Shakta texts, she is widely praised in the Lalita Sahasranama and the Saundarya Lahari.
Tripurantaka or Tripurari is a manifestation of the Hindu god Shiva. This form of the deity is written in a Purana literature in which he destroys the three cities of the asuras, called Tripura, with a single arrow.
Tukaram, also known as Tuka, Tukobaraya, and Tukoba, was a Hindu Marathi saint of the Warkari Sampradaya who lived in the 17th century. He was a devotee of the god Vithoba, a form of Vishnu. He is best known for his devotional poetry called abhanga, which is popular in Maharashtra.
Tulasi, Tulsi or Vrinda is a sacred plant in Hindu tradition. Hindus regard it as an earthly manifestation of the goddess Tulasi; she is regarded as the avatar of Lakshmi, and thus the consort of the god Vishnu. In another iteration, as Vrinda, she is married to Jalandhara.
Rambola Dubey, popularly known as Goswami Tulsīdās, was a Vaishnava (Ramanandi) Hindu saint, devotee (भक्त) and poet, renowned for his devotion to the deity Rama. He wrote several popular works in Sanskrit, Awadhi, and Braj Bhasha, but is best known as the author of the Hanuman Chalisa and of the epic Ramcharitmanas, a retelling of the Sanskrit Ramayana, based on Rama's life, in the vernacular Awadhi language.
Tvarita is a goddess primarily featured in Tantric Hinduism. She is depicted to be a member of the group of fifteen yoginis called the nityas, and an aspect of Adi Parashakti.
Tvashtr or Tvashta is a Vedic Hindu artisan god or fashioner. Tvashtr is sometimes identified with another artisan deity named Vishvakarma.
Tvashtr or Tvashta is a Vedic Hindu artisan god or fashioner. Tvashtr is sometimes identified with another artisan deity named Vishvakarma.
Upasani Maharaj, born Kashinath Govindrao Upasni, was an Indian spiritual teacher, considered by his disciples to be a satguru. He lived in Sakori, British India, and is said to have received God-realization from Sai Baba of Shirdi. Upasani himself was one of the principal masters of Meher Baba.
Upulvan is a guardian deity of Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan Buddhists believe him also as a protector of the Buddhism in the country. The name Upulvan depicts his body colour which means "blue water lily coloured".
Ushas is a Vedic goddess of dawn in Hinduism. She repeatedly appears in the Rigvedic hymns, states David Kinsley, where she is "consistently identified with dawn, revealing herself with the daily coming of light to the world, driving away oppressive darkness, chasing away evil demons, rousing all life, setting all things in motion, sending everyone off to do their duties". She is the life of all living creatures, the impeller of action and breath, the foe of chaos and confusion, the auspicious arouser of cosmic and moral order called the Ṛta in Hinduism.
In Hinduism, utsava murti, utsavar or uthsavar, is a form of a murti (icon) which represents a deity. The portable utsavar is employed in the tradition of temple processions, serving as a substitute for the central idol present in the temple shrine, called the mulavar.
Vac is a Vedic goddess who is a personified form of divine speech. She enters into the inspired poets and visionaries, gives expression and energy to those she loves; she is called the "mother of the Vedas" and consort of Prajapati, the Vedic embodiment of mind. She is also associated with Indra in Aitareya Aranyaka.
Vāhana or vahanam denotes the being, typically an animal or mythical entity, a particular Hindu deity is said to use as a vehicle. In this capacity, the vāhana is often called the deity's "mount". Upon the partnership between the deity and his vāhana is woven into much iconography and Hindu theology.
Vaikuntha, also called Vishnuloka, is the abode of Vishnu, the supreme deity in the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism, and his consort, Lakshmi, the supreme goddess of the sect.
Vaikuntha Chaturmurti or Vaikuntha Vishnu is a four-headed aspect of the Hindu god Vishnu, mostly found in Nepal and Kashmir. The icon represents Vishnu as the Supreme Being. He has a human head, a lion head, a boar head and a fierce head.
Vaikuntha-Kamalaja is a composite androgynous form of the Hindu god Vishnu and his consort Lakshmi. It is also known as Ardhanari Narayana and Vasudeva Kamalaja. Vaikuntha-Kamalaja is a rare form, mostly restricted to Nepal and the Kashmir region of India.
Vaishnavism, also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu religious traditions, that considers Vishnu as the supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, Mahavishnu. It is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. Its followers are called Vaishnavites or Vaishnavas, and it includes sub-sects like Krishnaism and Ramaism, which consider Krishna and Rama as the supreme beings respectively.
Vaishno Devi, also known as Vaishnavi, Trikuta, Sherawali is a Hindu deity considered to have the nature of Shakti and, at the Vaishno Devi Temple, is self-manifest as three Pindis described as the goddesses Mahakali, Mahalakshmi, and Mahasaraswati. She is worshipped as an ascetic, vegetarian, and virgin goddess who is associated with Vishnu. Believed to be the Mahadevi, she is revered as a divine "Mother" who protects and grants boons to her devotees.
Vajreshvari, also known as Bajreshwari, Kangra Devi, or Kangrawali, is a fierce form of the Hindu goddess Shakti, primarily worshipped in the Kangra Valley, Himachal Pradesh. Her name derives from vajra and īśvarī, literally meaning "Goddess of the Thunderbolt" or "Diamond Goddess". The principal centre of her worship is the Vajreshwari Devi Temple in Kangra, regarded as one of the 51 Shakta pithas.
Vakula Devi is the foster-mother of the Hindu god Venkateshwara, a form of Vishnu. As per the legend of Tirumala, the legend of Vakula Devi dates back to the Dwapara Yuga. In the legend, Yashoda, the foster-mother of Krishna, an avatara of Vishnu, complained to him that she could not witness his wedding with Rukmini, an avatara of Lakshmi.
Valli is a Hindu goddess, and the second consort of the deity Murugan. An incarnation of the goddess Sundaravalli, daughter of Lakshmi and Vishnu, Valli is born on earth as the daughter of a chieftain, leading a life of a huntress. Murugan, the god of war, eventually woos and weds her, according to Tamil folklore.
Vamana, also known as Trivikrama, Urukrama, Upendra, Dadhivamana, Ulagalanthan and Balibandhana, is an avatar of the Hindu deity Vishnu. He is the fifth avatar of Vishnu and the first Dashavatara in the Treta Yuga, after Narasimha.
Varaha is the avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, in the form of a boar. Varaha is generally listed as third in the Dashavatara, the ten principal avatars of Vishnu.
Varahi is one of the Matrikas, a group of seven mother goddesses in the Hindu religion who has the face of a sow. In Nepal, she is called Barahi. In Rajasthan and Gujarat, she is venerated as Dandini.
Varuna is a Hindu god. He is one of the earliest deities in the pantheon, whose role underwent a significant transformation from the Vedic to the Puranic periods. In the early Vedic era, Varuna is seen as the god-sovereign, ruling the sky and embodying divine authority.
Varuni is the goddess-personification of alcoholic beverages and intoxication in Hinduism. The drink named Varuni is generally described as a fragrant wine made from date palm, but the goddess Varuni is associated with all intoxicating beverages. Commonly described as the daughter of Varuna and his wife Jyeshtha, Varuni emerges during the Samudra Manthana, bringing the drink with herself and chooses the companionship of either the Devas or the Asuras, depending on the text.
The Vasus are a group of deities in Hinduism associated with fire and light. They are described as the attendant deities of Indra, and later Vishnu. Generally numbering eight and classified as the Ashtavasu, they are described in the Ramayana as the children of Kashyapa and Aditi, and in the Mahabharata as the sons of Manu or Dharma and a daughter of Daksha named Vasu.
Vasuki is the king of the nagas in Hinduism. He is described as having a gem called Nagamani on his head. Shesha, another king of the nagas and the bed on which Vishnu rests, is his elder brother, and Manasa, another naga, is his sister.
The Vasus are a group of deities in Hinduism associated with fire and light. They are described as the attendant deities of Indra, and later Vishnu. Generally numbering eight and classified as the Ashtavasu, they are described in the Ramayana as the children of Kashyapa and Aditi, and in the Mahabharata as the sons of Manu or Dharma and a daughter of Daksha named Vasu.
Vayu, also known as Vata and Pavana, is the Hindu god of the winds as well as the divine messenger of the gods. In the Vedic scriptures, Vayu is an important deity and is closely associated with Indra, the king of gods. He is mentioned to be born from the breath of Supreme Being Vishvapurusha and also the first one to drink Soma.
The Vayu Stuti is a stuti (eulogy) composed by Trivikrama Panditacharya addressed to Madhvacharya, the founder of the Dvaita school of philosophy. The hymn praises Madhvacharya as the third incarnation of the god of the wind, Vayu, after Hanuman and Bhima, a belief held by members of the Madhva tradition.
Vedanta Desika (1268–1369), also rendered Vedanta Desikan, Swami Vedanta Desika, and Thoopul Nigamantha Desikan, was an Indian polymath who wrote philosophical as well as religious and poetical works in several languages, including Sanskrit, Manipravaḷam, Tamil and Prakrit. He was an Indian philosopher, Sri Vaishnava guru, and one of the most brilliant stalwarts of Sri Vaishnavism in the post-Ramanuja period. He was a Hindu devotee, poet, Master of Acharyas (desikan) and a logician and mathematician.
Vedavati is the previous birth of the goddess Sita in Hinduism. She is an avatar of the mother goddess Lakshmi.
Virabhadra, also rendered Veerabhadra, is a fierce form of the Hindu god Shiva. He is created by the wrath of Shiva, when the deity hurls a lock of his matted hair upon the ground, upon hearing of the self-immolation of his consort, Sati, at the Daksha yajna.
Venkateswara, also known as Venkatachalapati, Venkata, Balaji and Srinivasa, is a deity, described as a form of the god Vishnu. He is the presiding deity of Venkateswara Temple, Tirupati. His consorts, Padmavati and Bhudevi, are avatars of the goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu.
Venkateswara, also known as Venkatachalapati, Venkata, Balaji and Srinivasa, is a deity, described as a form of the god Vishnu. He is the presiding deity of Venkateswara Temple, Tirupati. His consorts, Padmavati and Bhudevi, are avatars of the goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu.
Vidyarambham, also rendered Akshara Abhyasam, and Mutal Eluttu is a Hindu initiation ceremony that is performed before a child begins their formal education. This ritual is dedicated to the goddess of learning, Saraswati. It is popular in the South Indian states of Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.
Sri Vijayadurga is a Hindu goddess of varying importance in Indian culture and tradition. She is said to have intervened in a battle between Shiva and Vishnuthem, and gone to Shankwali to kill the demons harassing the Brahmins there. When she destroyed all the demons in Sancoale she earned the name of Vijaya and was given the name Vijayadurga.
In Hinduism, Vinata is the mother of Aruna and Garuda. She is one of the daughters of Prajapati Daksha. She is married to Kashyapa, along with several of her sisters.
Vinayagar Agaval is a devotional poetic hymn to the Hindu deity Ganesha. It was written in the 10th century during the Chola dynasty by the Tamil poet Avvaiyar, shortly before her death. It is considered to be her greatest poem.
Vinayaki (Vināyakī) is an elephant-headed Hindu goddess. Her mythology and iconography are not clearly defined. Little is told about her in Hindu scriptures and very few images of this deity exist.
Virabahu is a Hindu deity. He is considered to be the commander-in-chief of Murugan's army. He is regarded in Tamil tradition to be one of the nine commanders (Navaveerargal) who were born to serve Murugan.
Virabhadra, also rendered Veerabhadra, is a fierce form of the Hindu god Shiva. He is created by the wrath of Shiva, when the deity hurls a lock of his matted hair upon the ground, upon hearing of the self-immolation of his consort, Sati, at the Daksha yajna.
The Vishalakshi Devi Temple, also known as Vishalakshi Gauri Mandir, is a Hindu temple in Varanasi dedicated to the goddess Parvati. It is regarded as one of the 51 Shakti Pithas, where Shakti is worshipped as Vishalakshi Devi and Bhairava as Kaal Bhairav. The temple is believed to mark the site where the gem from Sati’s right earring (manikarṇa) fell; consequently, the goddess is also known as Manikarni Devi.
Vishishtadvaita is a school of Hindu philosophy belonging to the Vedanta tradition. Vishishta Advaita means "non-duality with distinctions" and recognises Brahman (ब्रह्म) as the primordial quality while also acknowledging its existential multiplicity. This philosophy can be characterised as a form of qualified monism, or a qualified non-dualism.
Vishnu, also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation (sattva). Though not prominently represented in the Vedas Vishnu was possibly already a significant non-elite divine figure in early Vedic times.
Vishvakarma or Vishvakarman is a craftsman deity and the divine architect of the devas in contemporary Hinduism. In the early texts, the craftsman deity was known as Tvastar and the word "Vishvakarma" was originally used as an epithet for any powerful deity. However, in many later traditions, Vishvakarma became the name of the craftsman god.
Vishvaksena or Vishwaksena, is the commander-in-chief of the army of the Hindu deity Vishnu, additionally serving as a gatekeeper and chamberlain of his celestial abode of Vaikuntha. As the embodiment of the tantras, Vishvaksena is worshipped before any ritual or function in the Vaikhanasas and Sri Vaishnavism sects. He occupies an important place in Vaikhanasa and Pancaratra temple traditions, where temple festivals often begin with his worship and procession.
Vishvarupa, also spelt as Vishwaroopa and known as Virāḍrūpa, is an iconographical form and theophany of a Hindu deity Vishnu in contemporary Hinduism. Though there are multiple Vishvarupa theophanies, the most celebrated is in the Bhagavad Gita, given by Krishna in the epic Mahabharata, which was shown to Pandava prince Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra in the war between the Pandavas and Kauravas. Vishvarupa is considered the supreme form of Vishnu, where the whole universe is described as contained within him.
Vithoba, also known as Vitthala, and Panduranga, is a Hindu deity predominantly worshipped in the Indian states of Maharashtra and Karnataka. He is a form of the Hindu deity Vishnu in his avatar: Krishna. Vithoba is often depicted as a dark young boy, standing arms akimbo on a brick, sometimes accompanied by his consort Rakhumai.
Surya is the Sun as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchayatana puja and a means to realise Brahman. Throughout Indian literature, Surya has been given multiple epitaphs such as Ravi, Vaivasvat, Bhāskara, etc.
Tulasi, Tulsi or Vrinda is a sacred plant in Hindu tradition. Hindus regard it as an earthly manifestation of the goddess Tulasi; she is regarded as the avatar of Lakshmi, and thus the consort of the god Vishnu. In another iteration, as Vrinda, she is married to Jalandhara.
Vrishakapi is an epithet that is used in Hinduism to describe the gods Surya, Vishnu, Shiva and Indra. But the word first appears in the Rig Veda where is it refers to a friend of the god Indra. The character has been described as a prototype of the later Hanuman.
Worship in Hinduism is an act of religious devotion usually directed to one or more Hindu deities, invoking a sense of Bhakti or devotional love. This term is probably a central one in Hinduism, but a direct translation from the Sanskrit to English is difficult. Worship in Hinduism takes many forms, and its expression vary depending on geographical, linguistic, and cultural factors.
Yajna or Yajñeśvara is mentioned as an avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu in Hindu literature. As Yajna, Vishnu is the embodiment of the Hindu sacrifice ritual, Yajna. He is also the Indra of the Svayambhuva Manvantara, the era of Svayambhuva Manu.
The Yakshas are a broad class of nature spirits in Hindu mythology which are associated with water, trees, forests, wilderness, treasure, and fertility. They are usually considered benevolent, and sometimes mischievous or capricious. They appear in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist texts, as well as ancient and medieval temples of South Asia and Southeast Asia as guardian deities.