Colourful Indians
Hindus are monotheism. But there is a God which all of the Hindus believe, that is Brahman, the eternal origin who is the cause and foundation of all existence.
The gods of the Hindu faith represent different forms of Brahman. These gods are sent to help people find the universal God (Brahman).
Most Hindus have a personal god or godess such as Shiva, Krishna or Lakshmi to whom they pray regularly.
There are many thousands of lesser gods and goddesses in Hinduism. The different Gods and Goddesses of Hinduism represent various functions of this One Supreme Divinity, and are not separate Gods.
Brahman contains everything: creation and destruction, male and female, good and evil, movement and stillness. There are three main aspects of Brahman.
These are expressed in the trimurti and are:
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Brahma, the creator
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Vishnu, the preserver
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Shiva, the destroyer
Hindus believe that sometimes a god will appear on the earth in living form. Such an appearance is called an avatar. Perhaps the best English translation of avatar is 'incarnation', however avatar also conveys the belief that God has the ability to take any form and will descend to earth at times when there has been a decline in goodness, and evil is influencing human actions.
 Durga - Family |  Ganesh - knowledge |
|---|---|
 Lakshmi - Prosperity |  Brahma - Creator |
 Shiva - Destroyer |  Vishnu - Presever |
 Krishna - Love |
God and Goddess
The Trinity
Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are considered the highest Gods of Hinduism. Functionally they represent the triple function of Manifested Brahman. Hence they are called the Trinity of Hinduism (Trimurthis).
Brahma is ruler of Brahmalok, assisted by Saraswathi (goddess of speech) to create.
Vishunu is ruler of Vaikunth, assisted by Lakshmi (goddess of wealth) to preserve.
Shiva is ruler of Kailash, assisted by Parvati (goddess of power) to destroy.
