The Gods of a Hindu
    In every devout Hindu home there is a shrine with images of one or more of the thousands of gods worshipped. The two major gods are Shiva and Vishnu, and most of the great Hindu temples belong to the Shaiva cult which worships Shiva, or the Vaishnava cult which worships Vishnu.
    Shivais a god of violence whose frenzied dancing - sometimes shown as taking place within a circle on the body of a dwarf demon - symbolises the eternal cycle of creation and destruction. He is portrayed with a blue neck caused by his holding in his throat poisonous scum thrown up, according to Hindu mythology, when the oceans were churned and threatened to destroy mankind.
    Shiva's consort - the fierce, blood-drinking goddess Kali - is worshipped as a leading divinity by most orthodox Hindus.
    Vishnu, the preserver, is a kindly god who protects those who worship him, restores health and banishes bad luck. He is said to come to Earth periodically as an avatar - an incarnation in various forms - to help mankind in times of crisis. His consort is Lakshmi the goddess of good fortune. Another major god is Brahma, the creator, whose consort is Sarasvati is the patroness of arts and learning.
     Amongst the writings of Hinduism is the Mahabharata which contains the story of Krishna.
Limbs OF Power.
    Among other gods who are widely worshipped are two of Shiva's sons: Ganesh and Karttikeya. Ganesh, the elephant god, is the bringer of good fortune. Karttikeya, a god of war, is usually depicted with six heads and 12 arms - a sign of his power. Other popular gods include: Sitala, to whom mothers traditionally pray to protect their children from disease: Rama, the personification of reason, virtue and chivalry: Hanuman, the monkey god who is revered as a guardian spirit; and Krishna, the 8th avatar of Vishnu, who is depicted with a blue or black skin and who is honoured for his skills as a warrior and lover. Kama is the god of love. He is always depicted as a handsome youth shooting arrows of love that turn to love. His wife is Rati.

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