Hindu religion is the most interesting and the oldest religion is known to mankind. There are various deities attached to Hindu Dharma and all of them have an interesting story attached to them.
Hindu Religion is also the third largest religion in the world. Hindu dharma forms the base of our entire Indian culture. It is actually the “Sanatana Dharma”- the eternal tradition, beyond human history.
There are multiple gods in Hindu Dharma but of those, a few are the ones who are most worshipped by the Hindus around the world. Here is the list of the popular Hindu Gods:
Lord Krishna
Shri Krishna is one of the most significant deities in Hindu epics and is also worshiped by a lot of Hindus around the world. He is referred to by various names such as Vasudeva, Gopal, Govinda etcetera.
He is the 8th incarnation of Lord Vishnu and is said to have played an extremely important role in the epic of Mahabharata. The festival of Janmashtami is celebrated to mark his birth anniversary.
Lord Shiva (Mahadev)
Shiva also is known as Mahadev, the “Destroyer of the Universe”, Rudra, Mahesh, Ashutosh etc. He is the only one who resides on Earth’s Mount Kailash.
He is the guardian God of Meditation, Yoga, and Arts. He carries our Holy river Ganga flowing from his matted hair and the moon on his head. With the third eye on his forehead, trishul as his weapon and carrying the damaru, Shiva is the epitome of energy and revered widely by the Hindus across the World. The festival of Shivratri is celebrated to mark his importance in our culture.
He is worshipped in the form of lingam. It implies the regenerative divine energy innate in nature, symbolized by Shiva. In the depiction of Shiva as Nataraja, he is portrayed as a great dancer and is the creator of the aggressive dance form “Tandav”.
Lord Vishnu
God Vishnu, the Protector of the Universe, is also famous with the names Narayan and Hari. Vishnu is renowned for his Nine Avatars or incarnations. Lord Rama and Krishna are the iconic incarnations of Shri Vishnu Bhagwan. His incarnations were meant to protect the world from evil, chaos and destructive forces to bring peace to the world.
A traditional depiction of Lord Vishnu shows him reclining on the coils of Serpent Shesha (Shesha Naag) where he resides with Goddess Lakshmi. Vishnu’s mount (Vahana) is Garuda, the eagle.
Lord Hanuman
The ardent devotee of Lord Rama, Hanuman is the son of “Vayudev” and incarnation of Lord Shiva. He is also known as Pawanputra and the Monkey God. Hanuman is the biggest devotee of Lord Rama and has the central role in saving Sita in the epic of Ramayana. He burned down Lanka, Ravana’s kingdom while looking for Sita.
It is said that when he was a child he swallowed the Sun. As he was young, he mistook it as a ripe fruit. He is also one among the eight immortals known as Astachiranjiwi, Hanuman is blessed to be immortal. He’ll be the part of Humanity forever.
Lord Ganesha
Ganesha the Elephant God, is the son of Lord Shiva and Devi Parvati. He is also known as Ganpati, Binayak, and Vinayaka. He is the God of Beginnings. Ganesha is the first god to be worshipped while performing any Ritual or Puja.
Parvati crafted Ganesha with clay to protect him. Shiva beheaded him when he came between Shiva and Parvati, not knowing that he is his son. Later when he realized that Ganesha is his son, he revived him by placing an elephant’s head. Ganesha is often shown riding on or attended by a Mouse or Mushak. He is the God of Goodluck.