The Gods of Hinduism

The people of India who follow the religion of Hinduism are known as Hindus.

They worship many different gods and are sometimes referred to as polytheists.

They believe that there is one supreme spirit called Brahman.

A persons soul or atman s part of Brahman and will return to Brahman.

Brahman is not he or she but it. Brahman is so completely different from anything we can imagine that we have to gain an insight into it's character by looking at the other gods who are each part of Brahman.

The three main gods are Brama (creator), Vishnu (preserver), and Shiva (death).

Some gods may appear in different forms.

Pavarti, the mother of the elephant headed Ganesh, is kind and gentle.

As Durga she rides a lion and is a warrior goddess.

As Kali she is the bringer of war and diease. Kali is pictured wearing a necklace of skulls.

Some gods are very old such as Indra who rides an elephant and brings storms and thunder. He is a god of war. Agni is an ancient god of fire.

The gods are married. Lakshmi is the wife of Vishnu. She is the godess of good fortune and is often shown carrying a lotus flower and conch shell which are the symbols of good luck.

The gods have special magical vehicles on which they travel. Shiva travels on a bull called Nandi.

There are many stories told about the gods.

Favourites include the story of how Rama rescued Sita, with the help of the monkey god Hanuman, from the evil demon Ravana.

This story is remembered every year at the festival of Divali.

Krishna was one of the incarnations or avatars of Vishnu and there are many stories about him, such as the time he took the clothes of the girls bathing in the river. They had to come to hime one by one to ask for them back!

People may worship these gods at home in a little shrine.

The hindu word for worship is Puja. Many perform puja at home while others may go to a temple called a mandir.

Often they offer food to the gods. The may light a lamp known as a diva.