List of Hindu deities


Hinduism is the biggest religion of the Indian subcontinent. It comprises four major traditions, Vaishnavism, Brahmanism, Shaktism, Shaivism, whose followers consider Vishnu, Brahma, Shakti and Shiva to be the Supreme deity respectively. Most of the other deities were either related to them or different forms of these deities. Hinduism has been called the "oldest religion" in the world, and many practitioners refer to Hinduism as "the eternal law".. Given below is a list of the chief Hindu deities followed by a list of Hindu deities.
Smartism, an older tradition and later reestablished by Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya, invites the worship of more than one god including Shiva like that, Vishnu, Brahma, Shakti and
Ganesha among other gods and goddesses. It is not as overtly sectarian as either Vashnavism,
Brahmanism or Saivism and is based on the recognition that Brahman is the highest principle in the universe and pervades all of existence.

Main deities

The Hindu trinity consists of Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Shiva the Destroyer. Their feminine counterparts are Saraswati, the wife of Brahma, Lakshmi, the wife of Vishnu, and Parvati the wife of Shiva. The followers of the last two form two major sects.

Devi (goddess)

Communities of goddess worship are ancient in India. In the Rigveda, the most prominent goddess is Ushas, the goddess of dawn. In modern Hinduism, goddesses are widely revered. Shaktism is one of the major sects of Hinduism. Followers of Shaktism believe that the goddess is the power that underlies the female principle, and that Devi is the supreme being, one and the same with Para Brahman. Shakti has many forms/manifestations like Parvati, Durga, and others but there are also goddesses that are parts of Shakti such as Lakshmi and Saraswati. Devi is believed to manifest in peaceful forms, such as Parvati the consort of Shiva and also in fierce forms, such as Kali and Durga. In Shaktism, Adi Parashakti is regarded as Ultimate Godhead or Para Brahman. She is formless i.e. Nirguna in reality, but may take many forms i.e. Saguna. Durga and Lalita Tripurasundari are regarded as the Supreme goddess in the Kalikula and Srikula systems respectively. Shaktism is closely related with Tantric Hinduism, which teaches rituals and practices for purification of the mind and body. Some different parts of Shakti the Mother Goddess:
is one of the major Hindu sects. Adherents of Shaivism believe that the god Shiva is the supreme being. Shiva is the destroyer god among the Trimurti, and so is sometimes depicted as the fierce god Bhairava. Shaivists are more attracted to asceticism than adherents of other Hindu sects, and may be found wandering with ashen faces performing self-purification rituals.
Some alternative forms of Shiva are listed below:
According to Hinduism, Brahma is the creator of the entire cosmic universe. Although he is the creator, he is not worshipped in Hinduism. According to common lore, once Lord Brahma & Lord Vishnu wanted to find who is the best of the two and went to Lord Shiva to settle the argument. Lord Shiva advised the two that the first one to find the start and end of his celestial body would be considered the greatest. Lord Brahma & Lord Vishnu accepted the challenge and started their journey from the centre of Lord Shiva's body. Lord Brahma travelled towards Lord Shiva's head & Lord Vishnu travelled towards the feet. The two gods travelled for ages across the universe, but couldn't find the head or feet of Lord Shiva. On his journey, Lord Brahma came across an aloe vera flower falling from Lord Shiva's head. On querying the distance to Lord Shiva's head, the flower said it had been falling down from his head for eons. Lord Brahma thus realised that it was impossible to reach Shiva's head and decided to cheat. Lord Brahma asked the flower to testify that she had seen Lord Brahma reaching Lord Shiva's head. Lord Brahma went back to Shiva and informed him that he had visited his head, and requested he be declared as the greater of the two. As an eternal being, Shiva realised that Lord Brahma was not truthful and cursed him that he would not be worshipped by the gods or mortals. Lord Shiva also decreed that aloe vera flowers should never be used for Shiva puja.
Some alternative names for Brahma are:
is the sect within Hinduism that worships Vishnu, the preserver god of the Hindu Trimurti, and his many incarnations. It is a devotional sect, and followers worship many deities, including Rama and Krishna both the 7th & the 8th incarnations of Vishnu respectively. The adherents of this sect are generally non-ascetic, monastic and devoted to meditative practice and ecstatic chanting. Some alternate names of Vishnu the Preserver:

Shakti

Adi Parashakti Adi parashakti
  1. Gayatri
  2. Mahamaya
  3. Yogamaya
  4. Sati
  5. Raja Rajeswari
  6. Lalitha parameswari
  7. Parvathy
  8. Aparna
  9. Durga
  10. Rudrani
  11. Mhalsa
  12. Narayani
  13. Kamakhya
  14. Meenakshi
  15. Kamakshi
  16. Vishalakshi
  17. Abhirami
  18. Kanya Kumari
  19. Annapoorna
  20. Sataksi or Shakambhari
  21. Bhramari or Bhramarambha
  22. Kausiki
  23. Akhilandeswari
  24. Uma
  25. Mari
  26. Bhavani
  27. Ambika
  28. Mahadevi
Dasamahavidya Mahavidya
  1. Mahakali
  2. Tara
  3. Shodashi
  4. Bhuvaneswari
  5. Chhinnamasta
  6. Bhairavi
  7. Dhumavati
  8. Bagalamukhi
  9. Matangi
  10. Kamalatmika
Navadurga Navadurga
  1. Shailaputri
  2. Brahmacharini
  3. Chandraghanta
  4. Kushmanda
  5. Skandamata
  6. Katyayani
  7. Kalaratri
  8. Mahagauri
  9. Siddhidhatri
MahaKali Mahakali
  1. Kali
  2. Bhadrakali
  3. Ugrakali
  4. Chandi
  5. Chamundi
  6. Chandamari
Asta Matrika Matrikas
  1. Brahmani
  2. Maheshwari
  3. Kaumari
  4. Vaishnavi
  5. Varahi
  6. Narasimhi
  7. Indrani
  8. Vinayaki
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Ganesha

  1. Vakratunda , his mount is a lion.
  2. Ekadanta, his mount is a mouse.
  3. Mahodara, his mount is a mouse.
  4. Gajavaktra , his mount is a mouse.
  5. Lambodara, his mount is a mouse.
  6. Vikata , his mount is a peacock.
  7. Vighnaraja , his mount is the celestial serpent.
  8. Dhumravarna corresponds to Śiva, his mount is a horse.

    Shiva

  9. Shankar Avatar
  10. Veerabhadra Avatar
  11. Bhairava Avatar
  12. Khandoba Avatar
  13. Nataraja Avatar
  14. Ashwatthama Avatar
  15. Ardhanarishvara Avatar
  16. Muneeswarar Avatar
  17. Muthappan Avatar
  18. Pashupati Avatar
  19. Gangeshwar Avatar
  20. Rudra Avatar
  21. Lingam Avatar
  22. Dakshinamurthy Avatar
  23. Ravananugraha Avatar
  24. Vaidheeswara Avatar
  25. Lingodbhava Avatar
  26. Somaskanda Avatar
  27. Bhikshatana Avatar
  28. Sri Manjunatha Avatar
  29. Vaidhyanatha Avatar
  30. Mahakaleshwara Avatar
  31. Tryambak Avatar
  32. Bholenath Avatar

    Brahma

  33. Valki Avatar
  34. Kashyapa Avatar
  35. Sukra Avatar
  36. Kalidasa Avatar
  37. Chandra Avatar
  38. Samudra Avatar
  39. Jamvanta Avatar
  40. Agastya Avatar
  41. Durvasa Avatar

    Vishnu

Dashavatara

  1. Matsya, the fish
  2. Kurma, the tortoise
  3. Varaha, the boar
  4. Narasimha, the Half Man-Half Lion avatar.
  5. Vamana, the Dwarf
  6. Parashurama, the cosmic Warrior Brahmin
  7. Rama, the king of Ayodhya and the hero of the epic Ramayana
  8. Krishna, central character in the Mahabharata, the Bhagavata Purana and the Bhagavad Gita
  9. Buddha, the founder of Buddhism
  10. Kalki who is expected to appear at the end of Kali Yuga

    Lakshmi

  11. Bhargavi
  12. Sridevi
  13. Sita
  14. Rukmini and Ashtabharya
  15. Padmavati
  16. Radha
  17. Vedavati
  18. Tulasi
  19. Padmawati
  20. Aadi Lakshmi
  21. Aishwarya Lakshmi
  22. Vidya Lakshmi
  23. Dhana Lakshmi
  24. Santana Lakshmi
  25. Dhaanya Lakshmi
  26. Gaja Lakshmi
  27. Veera Lakshmi
  28. Vijaya Lakshmi
  29. Dhairya Lakshmi
  30. Vidya Lakshmi
  31. Kamala
  32. Bhudevi
  33. Andal
  34. Bhargavi
  35. Tridevi

    Saraswati

  36. Savitri
  37. Vani
  38. Brahmani
  39. Mahasaraswati
  40. Gayatri
  41. Medha
  42. Gir
  43. Vāc

    Minor gods

The Rigveda speaks of Thirty-three gods called the Trayastrinshata. They consists of the 12 Adityas, the 8 Vasus, the 11 Rudras and the 2 Ashvins. Indra also called Śakra, lord of the gods, is the first of the 33 followed by Agni. Some of these brother gods were invoked in pairs such as Indra-Agni, Mitra-Varuna and Soma-Rudra.

Adityas

The Ramayana tells they are eleven of the 33 children of the sage Kashyapa and his wife Aditi, along with the 12 Adityas, 8 Vasus and 2 Ashvins, constituting the Thirty-three gods. The Vamana Purana describes the Rudras as the sons of Kashyapa and Aditi. The Matsya Purana notes that Surabhithe mother of all cows and the "cow of plenty" – was the consort of Brahma and their union produced the eleven Rudras. Here they are named: Nirriti, Shambhu, Aparajita Mrigavyadha, Kapardi, Dahana, Khara, Ahirabradhya, Kapali, Pingala and Senani. Brahma allotted to the Rudras the eleven positions of the heart and the five sensory organs, the five organs of action and the mind.

Vasus

Assistants of Indra and of Vishnu
The Ashvins were twin gods. Nasatya is also the name of one twin, while the other is called Dasra.

List in alphabetical order

Most of the Hindu temples are dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma, Shakti, Ganesh and Hanuman. The Hindu scriptures claimed that there were 33 KOTI or 33 category gods, koti meaning in Sanskrit crore. Crore also translates to 10,000,000 or 10 million.
One theory is that the number 330 million gods refers to the total count of the then known population of all the humans and living beings that ever walked on this planet including the 84 lakh jeeva rasi signifying that god exists in every living being. This is in line with the belief of Indians to respect all living beings as gods. It is estimated that the world population was around this number about a 1000 years ago when this number would have originated. It also explains the many gods
Another theory is that the number might be figurative but there are several names and forms for the multitude of gods. Given below is an incomplete list of deities.

A

Akasha
Achyuta
Adimurti
Aditi
Adityas
Agni
Ajjayya
Amman
Anala
Anila
Annamma
Annapurna
Anumati
Anuradha
Ap
Apam Napat
Aranyani
Aravan
Ardhanari
Ardra
Arjuna
Aruna
Arundhati
Aryaman
Ashapura
Asura
Asvayujau
Aswiniis
Ayya Vaikundar
Ayyappan
Ayyanar
Aryadurga
Badrakali
Bagalamukhi
Bahuchara Mata
Balaji
Balambika
Balarama
Banashankari
Beeralingeswara
Bhadra
Bhadrakali
Bhaga
Bhairava
Bhairavi
Bharani
Bharati
Bhavani
Bhishma
Bhumidevi
Bhumiya
Bhutamata
Bhuvaneshvari
Brahma
Brahman
Brahmani
Brihaspati
Buddha
Buddhi
Budhi Pallien
Chandi
Chandra
Chathan
Chhinnamasta
Chitragupta
Chamunda
Choudeshwari
Dashka
Dakshayani
Danu
Dattatreya
Deva
Devi
Devnarayan
Dhanvantari
Dhara
Dharma
Dharma Shasta
Dhatri
Dhrishtadyumna
Dhumavati
Diti
Draupadi
Durga Devi
Dyaus Pita
Ganapati
Ganga
Gangothri
Garuda
Gayatri
Gomatha
Ghanshyam
Guardians of the directions
Guru Nanak
Gusainji
Hanuman
Hari
Hari Krishna
Hari Hara
Hrishikesh
Huligamma
Harbadevi
Hingladevi
Hombaleshwari
Hattilakkamma
Indra
Indrani
Jagaddhatri
Jagannath
Jalaram
Jatayu
Jhulelal
Jumadi
Jyotiba
Kali Yuga
Kalki
Kama
Kamadeva
Kamalatmika
Kamakhya
Kamakshi
Kanaka Durga
Kannaki Amman
Kanyakumari
Karna
Karthikeya
Karuppa Swami
Kashyapa
Kathyayini
Katteholeyamma
Ketu
Khandoba
Khatushyamji
Khodiyar
Kinner Kailash
Kirata Moorti
Krishna
Kubera
Kumbhakarna
Kunchumamba
Kurma
Kushmanda
Lakshmi
Lakshman
Lalitha
Linga
Madurai Veeran
Mahakali
Mahalasa
Mahalaxmi
Mahesh
Mahavidya
Mahavishnu
Mahishasura Mardini
Mailaralingeshwara
Mallanna
Manda
Mariamman
Markandeya
Matrikas
Manasa
Mangala
Maruts
Matangi
Manikanta
Matsya
Maya calender
Meenakshi
Mhasoba
Mitra
Mohini
Mookambika
Muthyalamma
Muttinamma
Murugan
Muniandi
Muthappan
Mukyaprana
Mulkattamma
Muneeswaran
Naga Devata
Naga siren
Naga Yakshi
Naina Devi
Nandi
Nandni
Narada
Narasimha
Narayana
Narmada Devi
Nataraja
Navagrahas
Neela
Nirrith
Nirrta
Nookambika
Pandavas
Parashurama
Parasiva
Parjanya
Parvati
Pashupati
Perumal
Prajapati
Prithvi
Pushan
Purusha
Radha
Rahu
Ram
Ramdev Pir
Ramnathi
Ranganatha
Rati
Ratri
Ravastar
Ravi
Rbhus
Renuka
Revanta
Rohini Nakshatram
Rudra
Salumaradamma
Samaleswari
Santoshi Mata
Saranyu
Saraswati
Sati
Savitar
Sesha Naga
Shani
Shakti
Shakti Peethas
Shantadurga
Shitala
Shiva
Shri Khand
Shubhanga
Shyam baba
Shyamala
Sita
Skanda
Soma
Srimanjunatha
Subrahmanya
Surya
Svaha
Swaminarayan
Tara
Tejaji
Trimurti
Tirupati Thimmappa
Tripura Sundari
Tvashtri
Ugratara
Uma
Urvashi
Ushas
Vamana
Varaha
Varahi
Varuna
Vasu
Vasudeva
Vayu
Veerabhadra
Veer Mhaskoba
Venkateshwara
Vishnu
Vishvaksena
Vithoba
Vishwakarma
Vivasvat
Valli
Vyasa
Vishnumaya
Yaksha
Yakshini
Yama
Yamuna
Yami
Yellamma
Yudhishthira
Yamini