Which Gods Are Worshiped in India

India is a fairytale country. Like in any fairy tale, it has many wonders and mysteries, good conquers evil, and it is inhabited by amazing and incomprehensible creatures for us - Indian gods. Continuing the series of articles about India , we will talk about them in more detail.

Why are there so many of them?

For thousands of years, there has been a change of civilizations, states, and an endless series of conquests. Ancient Vedic literature was combined with Jainism, and Brahmanism with Buddhism. Some beliefs were superimposed on others, closely intertwined. The caste system protected the established way of life.

Guide to the Indian Pantheon

The number of Indian deities, probably, no one counted. But they tried to establish order in the hierarchy. The division is based on a historical approach. Religions in India gradually appeared and mutually enriched each other, making the life of the population diverse. The oldest sacred texts are the Vedas. They were interpreted by the caste of Brahmins , used for performing rituals. This is how Brahmanism appeared. And it transformed into what Indians call Hinduism. There are: - Vedic gods of ancient India: they personify the forces of nature - the gods of the Sun (Surya), the Moon (Chandra), water and seas; - Hindu gods - creators: Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva. This is the main triad. Symbols of creation, preservation and destruction of the world; - avatars: various incarnations of Hindu creator gods, their reincarnation. They take on various forms. Thus, Vishnu is represented by at least ten images (for example: fish, turtle). It is believed that Buddha is an avatar of Vishnu; - Indian goddesses - wives: they, like their husbands, are able to transform. Shiva’s wife appears in different guises: Parvati (mountain), Sati (virtuous), Bhairavi (terrible); - local deities of India: in one place the supreme being can be especially revered, and in another - on secondary rights. Another important principle of Judaism underlies the allocation of varieties: the doctrine of dharma - law. Dharma embodies an Indian’s understanding of his life purpose, duties to loved ones, to those around him. Hence the large number of local gods whom the inhabitants of India happily worship.

And also, in order to brighten up hard life, ordinary people arrange numerous holidays and festivals, glorifying their gods and goddesses of India.

What to read? You can expand your knowledge of the mysterious and enigmatic world of India, get acquainted with numerous myths and stories in books. From modern ones: - “Myths of Ancient India” published by OLMA Media Group; - “Something about the beginning of time… Gods and demons of Ancient India”, Nalein A. From classical ones: - Indian epic “Tales of the Mahabharata”; - “Ramayana”. The soul of a people is its beliefs. How complex and bizarre they are, so complex is the worldview. India is a place where the world is perceived as diverse as the deities of this world are numerous. On our website you will find a list of Indian gods and a description of them.