List of Hindu deities

Hinduism is the largest religion in the Indian subcontinent and third largest religion in the world.
Within Hinduism there are five major sects or
denominations, Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism, Ganapatism,  and Saurism whose followers
[1]

consider Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti or 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 of
the Hindu pantheon are different forms (incarnations) of these five major deities or are related to
them. 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 major Hindu deities
[2]

followed by a list of minor Hindu deities and demi-gods. Smartism, a tradition established by

Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya, invites the worship of more than one god including Vishnu, Shiva,
Shakti, Ganesha (the elephant faced god) and Surya (the sun god) among other gods and
goddesses. It is not as overtly sectarian as either Vaishnavism, Shaivism or Shaktism and is based
on the recognition that Brahman or God is the highest principle in the universe and pervades all of
existence.

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 the wife of Shiva. The followers of Vishnu
and Shiva form two major sects. Hindu Gods can be categorized as
Main Gods, Relatives of Gods, Avtaras of God. Different names of same Gods.
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:

 Vednatha, Chaturmukha, Prajapati, Hiranyagarbha, Vedagarbha, Kaushal

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,
haturmurti, 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
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/वद्ध
ृ (Old) form of Shiva who guided Pandavas to Swargarohini.
Goddesses[edit]
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 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
[3][4][5][6]

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[edit]
 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)
Parvati
Gayatri Lalita Chandika Ganga Kamakshi renuka Shakambhari
Yogamaya Uma Rudrani Kamakhya Vishalakshi Kanya Bhramari
Kumari
Sati Durga Mhalsa Meenakshi padmakshi Annapurn Kaushiki
a
 Akilandeswari Shodashi Shailaputri Siddhidhatri Raksha kali Varahi
Mariamman Bhuvaneswari Brahmacharini Mahakali Krishna kali Narasimhi
Bhavani Chhinnamasta Chandraghanta Bhadrakali Rakta kali Indrani
Ambika Bhairavi Kushmanda Adya kali Shyama kali Chamunda
Periyachi Dhumavati Skandamata Sri kali Brahmani Vinayaki
Shitala Bagalamukhi Katyayani Vama kali Maheshwari Shivadooti
Kali Matangi Kalaratri Bhima kali Kaumari
Tara Kamalatmika Mahagauri Shamshana Vaishnavi
kali

Ganesha
1. Vinayaka (Anointed one); Destroyer of all evils.
2. Vakratunda (Vakratuṇḍa) ("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 (Vikaṭa) ("unusual form", "misshapen"), his mount is a peacock.
9. Vighnaraja (Vighnarāja) ("king of obstacles"), his mount is the celestial serpent Śeṣa.
10. Dhumravarna (Dhūmravarṇa) ("grey color") corresponds to Śiva, his mount is a horse.
Shiva
Shankar Avatar Muneeswarar Avat Ravananugraha Av Bholenath Avata Bhava Avatar Pingala Ava
ar atar r tar
Veerabhadra Avatar Muthappan Avatar Vaidheeswara Avat Hanuman Avata Kapali Avatar Yaksha Ava
ar r tar
Bhairava Avatar Pashupati Avatar Lingodbhava Avata Tripurantaka Av Yogeshwarya Av
r atar atar
Khandoba Avatar Gangeshwar Avatar Somaskanda Avata Mahadev Avatar Adiyogi Avatar
r
Durvasa Avatar Rudra Avatar Bhikshatana Avatar Mahakala Avata Ashwatthama Av
r atar
Nataraja Avatar Lingam Avatar Sri Sharabha Avata Pipplada Avatar
Manjunatha Avatar r
Ardhanarishvara Av Dakshinamurthy Av Jyotirlinga Forms, Dattatreya Avata Virupaksha Avata
atar atar The 12 divine r r
representations of
Lord Shiva
Brahma
Kashyapa Avatar, Sukra Avatar, Kalidasa Avatar, Chandra Avatar, Samudra Avatar,
Jamvanta Avatar, Agastya Avatar
Vishnu
Matsya, the fish, Kurma, the tortoise, Hayagriva, the Half Man-Half Horse, Mohini, the enchantress,
Varaha, the boar, Narasimha, the Half Man-Half Lion avatar, Vamana, the Dwarf, Parashurama, the
cosmic Warrior Brahmin, Rama, the emperor of Kosala and the hero of the epic Ramayana, Krishna,
central character in the Mahabharata, the Bhagavata Purana and the Bhagavad Gita, though
according to some is the supreme parambrahman himself, Gautama Buddha, founder of buddhism,
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Kalki, expected to appear at the end of Kali Yuga, Dattatreya, Yagnya,
Guruvayoorappan, Vyasa, Prithu, Balarama (shankarshana avatar), Bharata (anshavatar),
Shatrughna (anshavatar), Shrinivasa
Lakshmi
Bhargavi, Sridevi, Sita, Radha, Rukmini, Ashtabharya, Padmavati, Andal, Rahi, Revati, Maha
Lakshmi, Yamuna, Narayani, Junior wives of Krishna, Alamelu manga,Vedvati, Varahi, Vaishnavi,
Narsimhi, Devi, Chaitanya, Jyotismati, Archi, Dakshina, Dharani, Surabhi, Kirti, Lakshmipriya,
Vishnupriya, Urmila, Mandavi, Shrutkirti, Viraja, Gandaki, Vaishno Devi, Mahamaya, Bhudevi, Nila
devi, Sunanda, Sumangala, Jaya prada, Mangala, Tulasi, Vrinda, Amba bai, Adi Lakshmi, The
ancient form of Lakshmi, Dhana Lakshmi, The Money Lakshmi, Dhanya Lakshmi, The Grain
Lakshmi, Gaja Lakshmi, The Elephant Lakshmi, Santana Lakshmi, The Progeny Lakshmi, Dhairya
Lakshmi, The Valarous Lakshmi, Vidya Lakshmi, The Knowledge Lakshmi, 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
Savitri, Vani, Brahmani, Maha Saraswati, Gayatri, Vāc, Para Saraswati,
Shatarupa,Medha, Sharada, Bharati, 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
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
[7]

Purana describes the Rudras as the sons of Kashyapa and Aditi.  The Matsya Purana notes
[8]

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
[9]

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

 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 and varchas
 Nakshatrani, also called dhruva or motionless polestar and prabhasa
Ashvins
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), Shakti (the mother goddess, hence including the forms
of Durga and Kali and Parvati, Lakshmi (including her incarnations Sita and Radha etc)
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, Dhata