GODS AND GODDESSES

He is depicted as an old man with four faces and flowing white beards. He is scholar and is considered the supreme sage. The is the master of the vedas and the other holy texts. His duty is to create the entire cosmos and attribute a form to each soul, based on the past deeds of the soul. There is only one temple in the whole of India dedicated to this god. He is the least worshipped of all the gods.

His main duty is to protect the devotees from the evil forces. He is so devout to this duty of his that at regular intrevals of time he himself descends to the Earth to destroy the anarchists. He is most famous for his 10 incarnations or Avatars. Among all the gods, he has the maximum number of forms and hence has a large following. His followers are called the Vaishnavaites.

His role is complemantary to that of Brahma. In the constant creation and destruction of the cosmos, he is responsible for the destruction. Shiva is the most feared of the gods and great kings had huge temples built to appease him. Infact almost all the huge temples in India, have Shiva in the sanctum sanctorum. The very act of destruction is performed in the form of a dance called the 'Rudra Thandav'. He is always worshipped in his 'linga' form and never in his true form. His devotees are called the Shaivaites. He is also responsible to safe guard the souls after destruction, till Brahma is ready for creation.

She is depected as dressed in white, seated on a white lotus and playing the veena(A stringed instrumant). Being the goddess of learning, her devotees mainly consist of students and academically interested people. It is quite rare to find a temple or even idols of this goddess, especially in the South.

Lakshmi is depicted as dressed in red, standing on a red lotus and showering gold coins from her palms. It is common to see an idol of the deity in all Vishnu temples, however the goddess doesn't have any temple solely dedicated to her. Being the goddess of wealth she is worshipped by one and all in India.

She is the most widely worshipped goddess in all of India. She has innumerable forms and is worshipped in all of them. She has a separate chamber in all Shiva temples and has many temples in which she is the main deity. Symbolising power, she is much feared and has many staunch believers. There are many tales of her victorious encounters with the evil forces.

He is the second son of Shiva and Parvati and is lauded as the commander in chief of the army of the gods. He is the most famous deity in Tamil Nadu and some other parts of South India. He is reffered to in many different names and is considered the destroyer of the foes.

He is the monkey god who plays a key role in the epic Ramayan. He is the son of the wind god and is considered to be a very powerful god. He is a bachelor and an epitome of devotion. Many Indians have Hanuman as their favourite god.

He is another form of Vishnu and is the principal deity in Tirupati, a temple which holds the record for the maximum number of devotees and the maximum earnings per year. This form of Vishnu is prevalent mainly in South India.

Rama is the eighth incarnation of Vishnu and the Ramayan is the story of the life of this prince born in Ayodhya. He is worshipped by many people mostly in the Northern parts of India. He is the epitome of goodnees and is depicted as the ideal man.

Krishna is the nineth incarnation of Vishnu and is the most colourful of all the gods. The Mahabharat is timed in his era. He is the most human of the gods as he is far from an ascetic. The tales of Krishna as a child, youth and adult are known to one and all. He is also widely worshipped.

She is a form of Parvati famous for her temple in Kanchipuram, the center of shaivism in the South.

Natraja represents the dancing pose of Shiva. The form is revered by the dancers all over India. The Nataraja idol is by far the most famous sculpture of an indian god both within the country and abroad.

She represents the most sacred Gayatri Mantra a hymn from the Rig Veda. Worship of Gayatri Mata by reciting this mantra brings every kind of fortune at the physical, mental and intellectual level.

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