How Various Hindu Gods are depicted Indian Classical Dance Kathak, Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi, Odissi

Ganapati/Ganesh/Gajanan

Ganesha, the Hindu deity in a human form but with the head of an elephant - represents the power of the Supreme Being that removes obstacles and ensures success in human endeavors. Hindu religious texts recommend the worshipping of Ganesha before the beginning of any religious, spiritual or worldly activity.

Lord Rama, the seventh avatar of Vishnu, is regarded as the Marayada Purushottam, or the most ideal human being. Also referred to as Ramachandra and honorifically as Sri Rama, this son of King Dasharatha and Ruler of Ayodhya, is one of the main anchors of the Hindu religion. Rama is a very popular figure in Southeast Asia as well. Rama is revered as a King who really lived on Earth and annihilated evil powers from the earth during His age

Lord Shankar or Shiva (Shiv) is the destroyer of the world, following Brahma (who is creator) and Vishnu (Preserver). Shiva is responsible for change both in the form of death and destruction and in the positive sense of the shedding of old habits.

Vishnu

Vishnu is the lord of preservation and is known as the All-Provider. He performs the cosmic function of cohesion. The constructive nature of his cosmic function stands out in contrast against the destructive dispersive power of Shiva. Vishnu's function is to ensure the sustenance of the universe that Brahma has created. He represents the cosmic cause of existence and the symbolization of eternal life which keeps the universe as one.

Krishna is the eight incarnation of lord Vishnu. Krishna is the embodiment of love and divine joy, that destroys all pain and sin. Krishna is the protector of sacred utterances and cows. Krishna is a trickster and lover, an instigator of all forms of knowledge and born to establish the religion of love.

Buddha can refer to the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, or to anyone who has attained the same depth and quality of enlightenment (awakened to the truth, or Dharma) and has experienced Nirvana. He realized four nobel truths (All life is suffering, Suffering is caused by desire, To eliminate suffering, eliminate desire, To eliminate desire follow the Eightfold Path). The eightfold paths are Right view, Right intention, Right speech, Right action, Right livelihood, Right effort, Right mindfulness, Right concentration.

Saraswati is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music and all the creative arts. Saraswati is called the Mother of the Veda's and the repository of Brahma's creative intelligence. Saraswati is also the goddess of speech, the power through which knowledge expresses itself in action. In the Vedas Saraswati is primarily a river but in the hymns she is celebrated both as a river and a deity.

Durga - the goddess of power and strength, is perhaps the most important goddess of the Hindus. She is a multi-dimensional Goddess, with many names, many personas, and many facets. As Mahishasuramardini or Shakti, she is the destroyer of evil - with her ten mighty arms carrying lethal weapons she triumphantly slays the demon Mahishasura. Durga, through all her forms, encompasses the essence of salvation and sacrifice.

Sita is considered as the ideal daughter, ideal wife, and ideal mother. Sita is one of the principal characters in The Ramayana, the great epic of India. Her entire life constitutes an example of idealism, loyalty and morality. Sita is regarded as the role model of wifely love and adherence to duty. Sita is a brave woman of extraordinary brilliance. She has got all the values that people believe, a woman must have in her character. Sita is a woman of virtue and of immeasurable patience.

Goddess Parvati symbolizes noble virtues admired by the Hindu religion. Parvati is the better half of Lord Shiva, the most innocent and the fiercest god in Hindu tradition. The couple together symbolizes both power of renunciation and asceticism and the blessings of marital felicity. Fertility, marital felicity, devotion to the spouse, asceticism and power are different virtues symbolized by Parvati.

Radha's passion for Krishna symbolizes the soul's intense longing and willingness for the ultimate unification with God. Shri Krishna is the soul of Radha and Radha is definitely the soul of Shri Krishna. She is the undivided form of Shri Krishna. She will remain a mystery unless one can know her inexpressible divine elements. She is worshipper as well as his deity to be worshipped. She being a beloved of Shri Krishna is known as "Radhika".