Hindu Deities

Panchamoha Ghanapathy Goddess Durga (Parvati) Lord Subramanya,Valli & Devayani  Lord  Nataraja, Sivakami & Shivalingam Lord Vishnu Lord Ayyappa Lord Krishna & Radha Navagrahas Vairavar (Datatriya) Goddess Gayathri Lord  Hanuman

The main deity in the Shree Ghanapathy Temple is Lord Ganesha. Everything in Hinduism begins with the worship of Him. With an elephant head and human form, He represents the niversality of creation. All creation is said to begin with Sound, and he is that first Sound OM or Pranava in which mantras are born. When Shakthi (Energy) meets Shiva (Matter) both Ganesha (Sound) and Lord Skanda (Light) are born. This is the scientific basis of this part of Hinduism.

In Hindu mythology, Lord Ganesha is the first son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi (a form of Universal Mother). By worshipping Lord Ganesha, a Hindu seeks Divine support for achieving success in one's endeavours in the physical world and for attaining progress thereafter. Success in all religious acts, as well as worldly affairs, is the goal of humans. Therefore, Hindus worship Ganesha to seek God's blessings before undertaking such activities. For this reason, Lord Ganesha is worshipped at the beginning of all religious functions and ceremonies.

Durga, the goddess of the universe, possesses different forms and aspects. She is a powerful aspect of the feminine goddess in Hinduism. Parvati, the wife of Lord Shiva, is a form of Durga. She is also called Shakthi, the goddess of Energy/Power.

She is best known for destroying the Buffalo demon Mahishasura. When Mahishasura drove the gods out of their heaven, they appealed to Durga to help them, and each god gave her his weapon. Durga’s slaying of Mahishasure, was why she is also called the Mahishasuramardini, the slayer of Mahishasura.

Besides the literal interpretation of Mahishamardini establishing righteousness and removing evil through her pastimes of war, there is an esoteric interpretation wherein the demons are regarded as the baser qualities of human kind such as lust, greed, anger, covetousness, dishonesty, etc.

The second son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati is Kartikeya, also known as Kumara, Skanda, Subrahmanya, Shanmukha, or Muruga. He is the Lord of Righteousness, who protects dharma by destroying evil. Lord Shanmukha (depicted as a six-headed Deity, symbolizing five senses and mind must be in harmony for mental, intellectual and spiritual growth. He has two Consorts , Valli (symbolizing Icha Shakti, or desire) and Devasena (symbolizing Kriya Shakti, the power of action).

He also has in his hand a "Vel" (Jnana Shakti) which removes ignorance. The Vel is not a mere weapon. It is a Deity in its own right. The vahana of Lord Subrahmanya is peacock. This is a bird whose behavior is unpredictable, as its moods are influenced by weather conditions. A peacock therefore, symbolizes ego, which causes unpredictable behavior in human beings. Lord Muruga's use of the peacock as His vahana conveys the idea that control of one's ego is necessary for spiritual advancement.

Lord Shiva is worshipped both with and without form, most commonly without form as the Linga. He has three eyes - the third eye being on the forehead between the eyebrows. The powerful gaze of Lord Shiva's third eye annihilates evil, and is the reason that evil-doers fear His third eye. He has four arms, two of the arms holding the Trishula (trident) and Damaru (drum) while the other two are in the Abhaya (protection-giving) and Varada (boon-giving) Mudras (poses). He has a crown of long matted hair from which flows the river Ganga. He also wears the crescent moon as a diadem. A tiger-skin and an elephant-skin adorn His body as His garments. There are serpents all over his body forming a necklace, the girdle, the yajnopavita (sacred thread) as also arm-bracelets. Lord Shiva represents that aspect of the Supreme Reality which continuously recreates, in the cyclical process of creation , preservation, dissolution and recreation. He annihilates evil, grants boons, bestows grace, destroys ignorance, and awakens wisdom in His devotees. Since the attributes of Lord Shiva are numerous, images of Lord Shiva vary in symbolism.


Sri Parvati, is the mother of Lord Ganesha & Lord Kartikeya. She is also called by many other names and is considered as the Mother of the Universe (Jaganmata).

Lord Shiva in a dancing pose is called Nataraja.

Lord Vishnu symbolizes the aspect of the Supreme Reality (Brahman of the Upanishads) that preserves and sustains all things and beings in the manifested world. Although there are some variations in images and pictures of Lord Vishnu, He is generally depicted in a human form with four arms. He is portrayed carrying in his hands a conch (shankha), a discus (chakra) and a mace (gada). He wears a crown, two earrings, a garland (mala) of flowers around His neck and a gem (kaustuba) on his chest. He has a blue complexion and wears yellow clothes. The Lord is shown in a reclining posture on a thousand-headed serpent (named Sheshanag). The serpent stands with its hoods open like canopy over te head of the Lord. His vahana is the eagle.

Sri Maha Lakshmi is the Goddess of wealth and prosperity, both material and spiritual. The word "Lakshmi" is derived from the Sanskrit root Lakshya, meaning aim or goal of life, which includes worldly prosperity as well as spiritual prosperity. In Her images and pictures, Sri Lakshmi is depicted in a form with four arms. She wears red clothes with a golden border and is seated on a lotus. She has gold coins, a half-open red lotus, and a golden, fully blossomed lotus in Her hands.

Lord Ayyappa is the son of Lord Shiva and Mohini (Lord Vishnu) is a delusory enchanting form. Ayyappan stands for constructive destruction which is a combination of Vishnu (constructive) and Shiva (destructive). These two powers are combined in Ayyappan since he helps to destroy all low negative tendencies and maintains pure satvic nature in the seeker. The Ayyappan temple in India is in Sabari Hill in Kerala and is one of the most popular pilgrim centers in south India. He is considered the protector of the weak. He saves Mankind from sickness, desease, and miseries of the world, and endows them with knowledge leading to spiritual liberations.

In Sanskrit, the word Krishna means "dark", indicating the Supreme Consciousness. Pure Consciousness is said to be "dark", not as opposed to "light", but in the sense that it is unseen by or unknown to one as long as one remains rooted in earthly experiences, experiences limited to the realms of perceptions, emotions, and thoughts gained through the physical body and the intellect.

The most beautiful and the most beloved of all gopis was Ratha. The love of Ratha and Krishna is symbolic of the eternal love affair between the devoted mortal and the Devine. In relation to God it is said that we are all women. Radha’s yearning for union with her beloved Krishna is the soul’s longing for spiritual awakening to be united with the one source of peace and bliss from which it has become separated. This long forgotten pain of separation is the root cause of all suffering.

Since the beginning of human race people all over the world have believed the planets of the solar system had an influence on human life and history. The Navagrahas or the nine planets of the sun are regarded by Hindus to shape the lives of individuals, nations and the course of history. Worship of Navagrahas signifies that divine grace compliments human effort. It provides man with the much needed inspiration during times of turmoil in life.

Our sages have perceived that chanting Navagraha Mantras everyday with devotion enables one to overcome one's adversities and achieve happiness in life. As per tradition, the nine planets are: Ravi or Soorya (Sun), Soma or Chandra (Moon), Mangala, Kuja or Angaraka (Mars), Budha (Mercury), Bruhaspati or Guru (Jupiter) , Shukra (Venus), Shani (Saturn), Rahu and Ketu. The seven days of the week are named after the first seven planets. Rahu and Ketu are not planets but ascending and descending nodes of the moon.

The Lord Datatriya is the incarnation of the trinity Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva together as a God. Lord Datatriya mentions the names of the 24 Gurus and spoke of the wisdom that he had learnt from them.

The Gayatri is the divine power that transforms the human into the divine and blesses Man with a brilliant light of the highest spiritual illumination. The nature of the Gayatri Mantra is such that you can repeat it while meditating on any form you like. It is generally conceived of as a female deity by the majority of devotees. One who worships God as mother adheres to this belief. But in it's true light, the Gayatri never speaks of a female at all. You cannot find a single word in the entire Gaytri Mantra, which speaks of a female.

The feminine form of the word Gayatri cannot make it's deity a female. Gayatri is discribed as having five faces. She is worshipped as a Panchamukhi, Five-Faced Goddess. The first is "Aum". The second is "Bhoorbhuvassvah". The third is "Thathsavithur Varenyam". The fourth is "Bhargo Devasya Dheemahie". The fifth is "Dheeyo yo nah prachoedayaath". Gayathri represents these five faces the five Pranas (life forces). She is the protector of the five Pranas in Man. Gayathri is the embodiment of all deities. It is not related to any particular sect, caste, idol or institution.