The Pantheon
The great deities of Hinduism and the ten descents of Viṣṇu — not many gods, but many faces of the One (ekam sat).
Principal deities
The four-faced creator from whom the worlds and the Vedas arise.
The all-pervading sustainer who descends as avatāras whenever dharma declines.
The auspicious one — ascetic, dancer and destroyer who dissolves the old so the new may arise.
The Divine Mother — the creative power (śakti) behind all, worshipped in many forms.
The elephant-headed lord of beginnings, invoked before every undertaking.
The youthful warrior-god, beloved in the Tamil land, who carries the divine spear (vēl).
The mighty vānara of boundless strength and perfect devotion to Rāma.
The shining powers of the Vedic hymns — sun, fire, storm and wind — to whom the oldest prayers are sung.
Daśāvatāra
The ten descents of Viṣṇu — taken when dharma declines.
Saved the Vedas and the first man, Manu, from the great flood.
Bore Mount Mandara on his back as the gods churned the ocean for the nectar of immortality.
Lifted the earth from the cosmic waters on his tusks.
Neither man nor beast, by day nor night, slew the tyrant Hiraṇyakaśipu to save the devotee Prahlāda.
As a small brahmin, asked for three paces of land — then strode across all the worlds.
The warrior-sage who restored balance against unrighteous kings.
The hero of the Rāmāyaṇa — the embodiment of dharma, duty and virtue.
Teacher of the Bhagavad Gītā and the playful, loving Lord of Vṛndāvana.
Counted in many lists as an avatāra who taught compassion and non-violence.
The avatāra still awaited, who will end the present age and renew dharma.