Knowledge · Deities
Hindu Deities & Sacred Traditions
A broad Hindu deity collection with particular attention to traditions strongly represented in Nepal — distinguishing pan-Hindu traditions from Nepal-specific manifestations and practices.
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.
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.
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