The Vedic religion is largely based on the Vedas; hence the prominence of the Vedas in this ancient religion cannot be withheld. The Rig Veda, which is the oldest religious document, contains 1028 hymns that speak much of the religious ideas and deities of the Vedic religion. Natural phenomena were personified and divinity was imposed on them. Vedic deities can be classified as terrestrial gods like Prithvi, Soma and Agni, atmospheric gods like Indra, Vayu, Maruts, Parjanya etc; heavenly gods like Varuna, Dyans, Asvins, Surya,Savitri, Mitra, Pushan and Vishnu. These later five forms being associated with the different phases of the sun`s glory. Among these Varuna occupied a place of honor. Indra was the god of thunderstorm and caused rainfall to relieve the dry earth. Then comes Agni, the god of fire. There were also some abstract deities like Sraddha(faith), Manyu(anger), and goddess Usha (goddess of dawn). With the passage of time, the Rig Vedic gods went through a phase of transformation and change in the Atharva Veda. The Rig Vedic era considered Indra to be the al mighty, powerful god, which actually got altered into the Projapoti who was then believed to be the creator and the preserver of the universe. The gods of the Rig Veda were essentially natural phenomenon, but the Aryans tried to personify them and thus the anthropomorphism began. There are actually two major families of gods, the Devas and the Asuras. Rivers also play an important part in the Vedic pantheon. They are deified goddesses most important being the Sapta Sindhu and the Sarasvati river. Yama is also worshipped as deity though he is the god of the underworld and death.

The concept of deities finds a remarkable dimension in the Vedic religion. It is said that the Vedic gods who in due course became established in India were the result of the fusion of ideas brought by the invading Aryans and those of indigenous people such as the Dravidians. The Aryans of Vedic era were actually herdsmen but they emphasised less on the propitiation of rural deities. They stressed more on the adoration of more fundamental and abstract conceptions and natural phenomena such as the sun (Surya), and fire (Agni). The reference of these deities were found in the Vedas along with thorough descriptions of the ceremonies that were intended to bring them material benefit in this world for the worshipper.

Most of the Vedic deities were to a large extent visualized as having human or animal forms although the degree to which this happened was not the same in all cases. It is not clear that whether these deities were worshipped in the form of images. This uncertainty is perhaps the strongest evidence against image worship in the Vedic period. It is possible that some people of the lower strata of the population, who worshipped images in human or animal form, developed the image worship later. This practice was gradually spread upwards to other sections of society. The Vedic deities were retrospectively given human form and reproduced as images at a much later period. The bronze figure of Surya is an example of this process. When the Aryans penetrated more into India and came in contact with the local inhabitants. As a result, the old Vedic religion underwent several changes. These chiefly concerned the deities that were worshipped and the forms of ritual. Some Vedic deities changed their function, gained or lost prestige, while the powers of intervention between deity and layman became monopolized by the priests (Brahmans) who alone could perform the necessary sacrifices. Some deities such as Vayu, the Vedic wind-god, and Indra (king of the gods and god of the thunderstorm) got more prominence then. The involvement of the layman increased the awesomeness of the Vedic like Varuna, guardian of the cosmic order.

As a result, several old deities were assigned to minor positions and others were promoted, and some new deities were introduced. Thus, the need arose for a more satisfying relationship between the devotee and the god gradually became widespread. This need for devotion (bhakti) towards a personal god inspired the desire for images which would make the deity more easily accessible. The introduction of the images of the deities in the Vedic era was certainly a slow, uneven process. The images were at first only made of minor deities in the pantheon. The earliest images of the deities were those of yakshas (tree spirits) and nagas (snake gods).

The Rigvedic deities may be placed under four categories. The first one can be mentioned as those representing the principal phenomena of nature, the second one is domestic deities, the third one is abstract deities and the fourth one is minor deities.

Vedic Deities that represent phenomena of Nature can be mentioned as follows Father Dyaus, the radiant god of the upper region.
Mother Prthvi, Earth.
Varuna, the all-comprehending sky.
Indra, the god of Thunder and Rain.
The Sun worshipped in five forms.
Surya, as source of light, and Savita, as source of fertility.
Mitra, as beneficent energy.
Pusan, as source of plant life and agriculture.
Visnu, as the swift moving Sun.
Rudra, Siva.
The two Asvins representing the morning and evening stars.
The Maruts, the Wind gods attending on Rudra, together with Vayu and Vata
Parjanya, the god of rain and water, and
Usas the goddess of Dawn.

Among the domestic Vedic Deities the following are important
Agni or Fire and Soma of a plant.

Among the abstract Vedic Deities the following are important
Dhatr, creator
Vidhata, ordainer
Visva & arma, creator of cosmos,
Prjapati, lord of creatures,
Sraddha, faith,
Manyu, wrath
Rta, truth,
Hiranyagarbha; the Implicit,
Brahmanaspati, Lord of prayer, and
Viratpurusa, Over soul.

The Minor Vedic Deities can be named as follows
Rbhus, aerial elves,
Apsaras, water nymphs,
Gandharvas, aerial spirits and
Adityas sons of Aditi, the primeval goddess.