10 Most Popular Hindu Gods Names (List of Hindu Deities) HindUtsav

Hinduism is the “oldest religion” in the world. It is the most dominant religion of the Indian sub-continent. Hinduism is often referred as “the eternal law” or Sanatan Dharma. Today, we share with you the Most Popular Hindu Gods Names (List of Hindu deities).

Hinduism believes in one Supreme Godhood that controls and guides each and every individual. It is the highest principle in the universe that pervades all of the existence.

Still, you find many Gods and Goddesses that are worshiped in Hinduism. And this comes out as a major characteristic of the Hindu religion.

In fact, no other religion in the world has so many Gods and Goddesses as in Hindu Religion. It is so because Hinduism believes that the Supreme Power can manifest in different forms.

Moreover, Hindu scriptures portray God as Nirakar (without any form) and also as Saakaar (with form). Even the Vedas (the most sacred and oldest religious texts of the Hindus) have praises for the Nirakar and Saakaar Brahman.

So, there are numerous Gods and Goddesses in the Hindu religion.

With the passage of time three major traditions evolved that were known as Shaivism, Vaishnavism, and Shaktism centered on the three principle deities as Shiva, Vishnu, and Shakti respectively.

Hindus began to worship more than one God based on their beliefs, family tradition, regional practices, community, and other considerations. So, Hinduism primarily became a polytheistic religion with myriad Gods and Goddesses.

In fact, if you want to know the Hindu religion in totality, you got to know about their various Gods and Goddesses. Sometimes it can just be out of curiosity, but at other times it can be a serious affair when you want to know in-depth about Hindu Gods.

Here, we have listed Hindu Gods Names together with a short but informative description of each one of them. It’s a comprehensive post featuring a list of popular Hindu deities.

Once you go through the post, you come to know Hindu God Names. We have made sure that you get all the principal and popular Hindu deities in this list.

So, if you have even the slightest bit of inquiry about Hindu Gods Names, then this post will be more than handy for you. It shows the list of popular Hindu deities.

So, let’s begin and get to know the Hindu Gods Names.

Table of Contents

10 Popular Hindu Gods Names

Shiva

Shiva is one of the principal deities of the Hindu religion. He is the Supreme Being in the Shaivism sect of Hinduism. Shiva is one of the Godheads in Hindu Trinity that includes Brahma and Vishnu.

Shiva is considered as the “destroyer” in Hindu tradition. He is the destructive form of the Supreme Power. Lord Shiva is known by several names such as Shankar, Mahadeva, Nataraja, Bhole Nath, Adiyogi, Rudra, Mahakaal, Shambu, Neelakantha, and Mahesh.

He is mostly represented as Shiva Lingam. His celestial abode is said to be as Mount Kailash. He lives an ascetic life but is also a householder with wife Parvati and two sons, Ganesha and Kartikeya.

He is also the patron of yoga, meditation, and arts. Shiva is easy to please and is greatly merciful towards his devotees. He is portrayed with a serpent around his neck, the adorning crescent moon, the holy river Ganga flowing from his matted locks, the third eye on his forehead, with a damaru and Trishul as his weapon.

Vishnu

Vishnu is one of the most popular deities of Hinduism. He is considered as the Supreme Being in the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism. Vishnu is one of the Godheads in Hindu Trinity that includes Brahma and Shiva.

He is regarded as the preserver or sustainer of life. Vishnu protects the world threatened with evil, chaos, and destructive forces. Vishnu is known by several names such as Hari, Narayana, Jagannath, Vithoba, Balaji, and Vasudeva.

Lord Vishnu is portrayed as having a dark or pale blue complexion. He has four arms and holds a Padma (lotus flower) in his lower left hand, Panchajanya Shankha in his upper left hand, Kaumodaki Gada (mace) in his lower right hand, and the Sudarshan Chakra (discus) in his upper right hand.

He is often depicted reclining on the coils of the serpent Shesha and is accompanied by his consort Lakshmi. His celestial abode is said to be Vaikunta.

Some of the important religious texts related to Vishnu, include Bhagavata Purana, Vishnu Purana, Narada Purana, Garuda Purana, and Vayu Purana. It is believed that Vishnu’s avatars (incarnations of Vishnu) descend to protect the earth from evil forces thereby restoring Dharma. The most popular and celebrated avatars of Vishnu are Rama and Krishna.

Ganesha

Ganesha is also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, Gajanana, Ekadanta, Gajakarna, Haridra, Lambodara, and Mangalamurti. He is one of the most worshiped deities in the Hindu religion.

He is not only worshiped in India but also in various other parts of the world, including Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. In fact, Lord Ganesha is worshiped before beginning any auspicious ceremony, rites or undertaking.

He is the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Lord Ganesha is the pot-bellied elephant, God. He is usually depicted riding a mouse. In Hindu tradition, Ganesha is recognized as the lord of success, knowledge and wealth.

He is chiefly revered as the remover of obstacles, the patron of arts and sciences, and the God of intellect and wisdom. Some of the principal texts of Ganesha include the Ganesha Purana, Ganapati Atharvashirsa, and Mudgala Purana.

Durga

Durga is the female manifestation of the Divine Power that pervades the entire cosmos. She is known as Adi Parashakti, Bhavani, Parvati, Devi, and Shakti. Durga is the popular and principal form of Hindu Goddess.

In fact, Durga is regarded as the warrior Goddess who overpowers evil and demonic forces that are a threat to peace, harmony, and order. She is the fierce form of Mother Goddess who is willing to protect her devotees from wrong, violence, and destruction.

Hindus regard Durga as the consort of Lord Shiva, as another form of Parvati. She is the main deity in Shaktism tradition of Hinduism. Durga is usually depicted riding a lion or tiger. She can be seen with many arms each carrying a weapon.

Devi Mahatmya is the most important religious text which celebrates Durga as the Goddess. She is regarded as the Supreme Power and the creator of the Universe. Navratri is the most popular festival dedicated to Goddess Durga.

Saraswati

Saraswati is the Hindu Goddess of knowledge, arts, wisdom, music, learning, and speech. She is considered as being part of Trinity (Tridevi) that includes Parvati and Lakshmi.

Saraswati is the consort of Lord Brahma and helps him in creating the Universe. Goddess Saraswati is also regarded as the Mother of Vedas. One can even find mention of Saraswati as a goddess in the Rig Veda.

The importance of Goddess Saraswati has remained intact from the times of the Vedas through modern times such as the present era.

Vasant Panchami is the most important festival dedicated to Goddess Saraswati. “Saraswati Vandana” is often chanted to get the blessings of Goddess Saraswati.

Kali

Kali is the Hindu Goddess of Death, Moksha, and Liberation. She is worshiped by Hindus throughout India. Kali is often referred as the Divine Mother, Adi Shakti, and Mother of the Universe. She is regarded as the divine protector.

Kali is mainly worshiped by the Shakta Hindu and Tantric sects. Goddess Kali is one of the Ten Mahavidyas, a group of Tantric goddesses. Kali is usually portrayed as the dark goddess.

She appears as a four-armed woman. Her skin is blue or black. She can be seen standing atop his husband Shiva, who lies calmly beneath her feet. She is blood-soaked, dressed in skulls, and her tongue is hanging out.

Hindus regard Kali as the fierce form of Goddess Durga. She ends all evils in our lives.

Lakshmi

Lakshmi or Laxmi is known as the Goddess of wealth, money, prosperity, and abundance. She is the consort of Lord Vishnu and helps him in safeguarding the world.

In fact, Lakshmi comes from the Sanskrit word, “Lakshya” meaning aim or goal. So, Goddess Lakshmi reminds us that we should have an aim in life and make earnest efforts in achieving it.

Worshiping Goddess Lakshmi helps us to attain our goal in life. She is also known as “Sri.”

Lakshmi is fair and has golden complexion. She is usually portrayed sitting on a full-bloomed pink or red lotus. Goddess Lakshmi is depicted with four hands which signify Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha.

She adorns reddish golden clothes and can be seen with various gold ornaments. Gold coins are shown to be flowing out of her hand.

Krishna

Krishna is perhaps the most beloved of Hindu Gods. In fact, Krishna is said to be the eighth avatar of Lord Vishnu. He is known for his love, tenderness, and compassion among Hindus.

The birthday of Krishna is celebrated every year on Janmashtami. It falls in August or early September according to the Gregorian calendar. Krishna is known by several names such as Govinda, Makhan Chor, Mukunda, Vasudeva, and Madhusudan.

Hindus know Krishna as a godchild, a prankster, a model lover, a divine hero, and also as the universal Supreme Being. Krishna is often portrayed as an infant eating butter, as a young boy with a flute, a young man with Radha and other Gopikas, and even as a friendly charioteer giving “Updesha” or counsel to Arjun.

Krishna is the central figure in the epic tale of Mahabharata. He is also widely known for his discourse to Arjun which are listed in Bhagwad Gita.

Rama

Rama who is also known as Ramchandra is one of the major deities of Hinduism. It is said that Rama is the seventh avatar of Lord Vishnu. He is considered as a Supreme Being in Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism.

Rama was born in Ayodhya to Kaushalya and Dasharatha. He had three siblings namely Bharata, Laxman, and Shatrugna. Ram was married to Sita.

Perhaps the most important episodes in Rama’s life were his 14-year exile and the subsequent kidnapping of Sita by the demon king Ravana. However, Rama successfully freed Sita and destroyed Ravana.

Rama is the central figure in the great Hindu epic, Ramayan. Ram is an embodiment of truth, virtue, valor, and sacrifice. Hindus celebrate his return to Ayodhya after serving 14-year exile during Diwali, the festival of lights.

Hanuman

Hanuman is an avatar of Lord Shiva. Lord Hanuman is widely known for his immense devotion towards Lord Rama. In fact, Hanuman is one of the central characters in the Hindu epic Ramayan.

He is widely known for his strength, courage, valor, and devotion. Hanuman helped Lord Rama to overpower the demon king of Lanka, Ravana.

Hanuman was born to Anjani and Kesari. The wind God Vayu also played a role in his birth. It is said that Hanuman is “Chiranjivi,” the ever-living God who transcends the bonds and limitations of time and place.

Hanuman is depicted in the form of Monkey-faced God. He is also known as Bajrang Bali, Maruti Nandan, Pawan Putra, and Sankat Mochan.

He is worshiped by the Hindus as a symbol of physical and mental strength, courage, knowledge, perseverance, and scholarly devotion. Hindus usually chant the name of Hanuman in times of trouble. They also sing his hymn, Hanuman Chalisa. Hanuman temples can be found in every part of India.