Knowledge
Deities & Sacred Figures
Hindu and Buddhist deities, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and sacred figures form a major encyclopedia-style knowledge system on HHA — each with a substantial dedicated study page connected to tradition, ritual, symbolism and scholarship.
Deity
Ganesha
Ganesha, the elephant-headed son of Shiva and Parvati, is one of the most widely worshipped deities in Hinduism, invoked at the start of any new undertaking, journey or ritual as the remover of obstacles (Vighnaharta) and lord of beginnings. In Nepal's Kathmandu Valley, Ganesha is honored through the Char Binayak — four historic shrines traditionally said to form a protective boundary around the valley.
Deity
Shiva
Shiva is one of the principal deities of Hinduism, revered as the ascetic yogi and cosmic dissolver within the Trimurti, and as the Supreme Being within Shaiva tradition. Known by many names — Rudra, Maheshvara, Mahadeva — Shiva embodies both fierce destructive power and profound stillness, and is central to devotional, yogic and ascetic traditions across the Indian subcontinent and the Himalayas, nowhere more prominently in Nepal than at Pashupatinath in Kathmandu.
Hindu Deity Collections
Major Deities
- Shiva
- Parvati
- Vishnu
- Lakshmi
- Saraswati
- Brahma
- Ganesha
- Kartikeya
- Hanuman
- Krishna
- Rama
Dashamahavidya
- Kali
- Tara
- Tripurasundari
- Bhuvaneshwari
- Chhinnamasta
- Bhairavi
- Dhumavati
- Bagalamukhi
- Matangi
- Kamala
Nepal Shakti Traditions
- Taleju
- Dakshinkali
- Guhyeshwari
Bhairava
- Bhairava
- Akash Bhairava
- Swet Bhairava
Ganesh
- Ganesh
- Char Binayak
Vaishnava
- Vishnu
- The Four Narayan of Kathmandu Valley
Matrika
- Ashtamatrika (Eight Mother Goddesses)
Healing-related figures
- Dhanvantari
- Ashvin Kumar traditions
Buddhist Deity Collections
Historical Buddha
- Shakyamuni Buddha
Buddhas / Primordial Figures
- Vairocana
- Akshobhya
- Ratnasambhava
- Amitabha
- Amoghasiddhi
- Vajradhara
- Samantabhadra
Bodhisattvas
- Avalokiteshvara
- Green Tara
- White Tara
- Manjushri
- Vajrapani
- Kshitigarbha
Healing / Longevity
- Medicine Buddha (Bhaisajyaguru)
- Amitayus
Vajrayana Figures
- Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava)
- Vajrasattva
- Vajrayogini
Protectors / Guardians
- Mahakala
- Palden Lhamo
- Begtse
- Hayagriva
Newar Buddhist Traditions
- Major Newar Buddhist sacred figures
- Kathmandu Valley manifestations