The Hindus are highly religious people, and they are a part of the largest religion in the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is the third biggest religion in the world.
It is made up of five major denominations or sects. They are Brahmanism, Vaishnavism, Saurism, Shaivism and Shaktism. Followers of these denominations believe their respective god to be the supreme god.
Some of the major Hindu gods and goddesses include Smartism, Brahman, Vishnu, Shiva, and others. Read on to learn more about each major Hindu deity below.
Table of Contents
Brahma
According to Hinduism, Brahma is the deity that created the whole cosmic universe. Surprisingly though, he is hardly worshipped in modern Hinduism much as he is the creator.
He married Saraswati and emerged to give him knowledge of creation. Also, Bahma is identified with Prajapati, a supreme Vedic god. Brahma has got other names, like Chaturmukha, Hiranyagarbha, Vednatha, and Vedagarbha, among others.
Brahma is also known as Svayambhu or self-born, Lord of speech, and the creator of the four Vedas and each from one of his mouths. He is the father of four Kumaras, Daksha, Narada, Marichi, and many others.
He is said to stay in Brahmaloka or Satyaloka. He is revered only in ancient texts, but rarely worshipped as a major deity in India. Most of his temples are found outside India, like the Erawan shrine in Bangkok.
Devi
Communities that worship goddesses are ancient. The most common goddess is Ushas, goddess of dawn in Rigveda. However, modern Hinduism reveres goddess worship, like Shakitism which is a major Hinduism sect.
Shakitism followers believe that goddess Devi is the power (Shakti) that underlies the female principle and also believes that Devi is a supreme being that is the same and one with Para Brahman.
It is believed that Devi manifests in peaceful forms, like Parvati, the cosort of Shiva. Also, Devi at the same time can manifest in fierce forms, like Durga and Kali.
Shakti (Devi) the mother goddess has got other forms, like Bhumi, the mother Earth known as Prithvi, Lakshmi and her Ashtalakshmi, wife of lord Vishnu and goddess of wealth.
Shiva
Shaivism is among the major Hindu sects. Followers of Shaivism believe that Shiva is the Supreme Being. Also, it is said Shiva is the destroyer god among the Trimurti and is sometimes portrayed as Bhairava, the fierce god.
Most times, Shaivists will be more attracted to asceticism compared to believers of other Hindu sects. Due to this, you might find them wandering with ashen faces as they perform self-purification rituals.
Other alternative forms of Shiva (and Bhairavs) include Nataraja, Rudra, Pashupati, Lingodbhava, and Dakshinamurthy, among many others.
Vishnu
The sect in Hinduism that worships Vishnu is the Vaishnavism. He is the preserver deity of the Hindu trinity (Trimurti) and his many other incarnations.
His followers regard Vishnu to be the strongest, eternal, and supreme god. His is a devotional sect where followers worship many gods including Ram and Krishna. These two are the 7th and 8th Vishnu incarnations respectively.
Vishnu followers are generally monastic, non-ascetic and devoted to ecstatic and meditative practice and chanting. Other Vishnu alternative names include Narayana, Perumal, Jagannatha, Adi Narayana, Achyuta, and Madhava, among many others.
Conclusion
Hinduism is considered the largest religion in India and the third largest religion in the world. As such, it has got a number of gods that they worship.
Hinduism is divided into five denominations, Vaishnavism, Brahmanism, Saurism, Shaktism and Shaivism. Followers of these denominations worship their respective gods and consider them the supreme gods. Consider this information if you are interested in Hinduism.