Hindus often have favourite gods who they feel especially close to. Three of the best loved are:

Ganesh (Ganesha)

Ganesh has an elephant head on a chubby human body. According to legend, his father Shiva beheaded him by mistake and replaced his head with that of the first animal he found - an elephant. As the remover of obstacles and the god of wisdom, he is worshipped before starting any new venture. His vehicle is a small mouse.

Lakshmi (Laxmi)

Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth, beauty and good fortune. She is the wife of Vishnu and is shown with four arms, holding lotus flowers and pouring gold coins. Hindus believe she rose from the milk ocean. She is especially worshipped at Diwali, when houses are cleaned and lit up so that she will visit them.

Hanuman

Hanuman is the monkey god, son of the wind god Vayu. He has enormous strength - he could even leap from India to Sri Lanka - but he is most loved for his total devotion (bhakti) to Rama, whom he served by helping rescue Sita. Hanuman is seen as the model devotee: powerful, but humble before the god he serves.

Y8 Hinduism

Popular Hindu Gods