"I am not a Hindu, Nor a Muslim am I! I am this body, a play Of five elements; a drama Of the spirit dancing With joy and sorrow"....Kabir

The concept of God in India lies in the fact that God resides in the soul of every individual. The soul can not be separated from the divine God, the soul is immortal and so is God. He is the master of all creation and the destruction as well. God is the only one and many as well. God pervades in everything and everywhere, He is the colossal being and resides in the gigantic things as well as in the smallest particle of the world. Hinduism defines God as the being who is visible and at the same time invisible, He has a form and He is formless as well.

Hinduism is the connotation of impersonal origin, and as a Hindu religion is termed as `apauruseya`. The Hindu gods are the eternal deities appearing to be sovereign and different, but in reality are aspects of the same Brahman, the supreme God. Gods of India are these Hindu deities in different incarnations. Hindu religion has a number of gods and goddesses that are worshipped by the inhabitants of India. As per the Hindu belief, the God and Goddesses are living beings of a separate macrocosm. There exists a broader cosmos different from the visible one and the Hindus believe that the Gods are guiding each and every pace of human beings from their own world.

Lord Brahma is the God of Creation, an important parivara deity among the Hindus. He is seen with four heads representing four Vedas, which is also called the four `Yugas`. Seated on a lotus, his `vahana` is the swan. It is believed that he was born from the naval of Lord Vishnu at the end of one cycle to start a fresh cycle. Myth has it that Lord Shiva cursed him that he would not be worshipped whose evidence is found in the absence of temples worshipping him.

Vishnu is the God of maintenance, protection and sustenance among the Gods of India. He was instrumental in introducing the souls into the cycle of life by Brahma sustaining them. His complexion is the color of dark clouds and so is often known as `Nilameghashyamalan`. Being merciful Vishnu is seen resting on the ocean on his bed of Adisesha (serpent with 1,000 heads), taking `avatar` for rescuing humans from evils. He has ten avatars or incarnations known so far, namely - Matsya avatar, kurma avatar or turtle, varaha avatar or boar, narasingha avatar or Lion, Vamana avatar or the Dwarf incarnation, Parasurama avatar. The seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu is Ram who is highly worshipped among the Gods of India. The eighth incarnation is Lord Krishna who is an important god in Hindu religion and the next is the Buddha avatar. The Kalki avatar is the final and the tenth incarnation of Vishnu. The last incarnation is still to come at the end of the Kaliyuga or the present age of decline.

Lord Shiva is the God of destruction and is highly revered among the Gods of India. He is greatly worshipped in the form of `linga` or phallus that is built on a pedestal. Enormous energy of the creator is denoted by the `linga` which absorbs the creator Brahma, Vishnu and Gayatri Devi in its heart. All the energies assimilate into Shiva, who is known for His angry image and infinite knowledge always meditating. Destruction and creation all are blended into one power that is Shiva, whose existence is incomplete without his consort Parvati.

Lord Ganesha is one of the prime Gods of India, worshipped at the commencement of any important action or venture, related with business or art. Known as Vigneshwara, he is known as removing all hindrance in the way. He is seen in the form of an elephant head in a human body, with four arms, a huge belly and a snake adorning it. Ganesha`s `vahan` that he rides is rat which represents subdued vanity, conch- sound that creates Akash, laddu that he holds is `Sattva`, snakes refer to Shiva and control over passion and the hatchet alluring to the freedom from desires.

Lord Jagannath is the name given to describe a deity form of Krishna. He is considered merciful and the oldest and renowned Jagannath deity is in Puri in Orissa. The famous Rath yatra is organized every year to mark Krishna`s home coming in Mathura. This acquires a huge dimension in Orissa where the wooden cart is pulled by thousands of pilgrims.

Moreover Lord Hanuman is also known, as Anjaneya is among the most important gods and goddesses in the Indian epic Ramayana. He assisted Ram in recovering Sita from Ravana`s captivity and was blessed with enormous energy and power by the Gods. Lots of myths are associated with him and he is highly worshipped in temples all over assuming the status of a deity among the other Gods of India.

Another most important God of India is Indra who is known as the king of the Gods and the ruler of the heavens. He was a great warrior and also God of thunder and rain. Numerous stories are also associated with him, which also tells how he lost the heavens to the Demons. He is bedecked with conch, hook, rainbow, noose and Vajra.

Apart from the Gods, Indian people worship a large number of Goddesses. The most widely worshipped goddess is Devi Parvati who is the manifestation of Shakti and is the Female Creative Energy of the Universe. Shakti is also related to Prakriti, the `material-nature` of Ishwara, which unites with Brahman, to give birth to everything around. Shiva, the Purush or Male Productive Principle of the Universe, is believed to be in conjunction with the Prakriti, expressed in Parvati, which sustains the flow of life. Shiva is thus, the synthesis of the opposite principles of life, which portrays the totality of existence- the Creator and Destroyer; ascetic and erotic; spiritual and material.

Goddess Durga is one of the shades of Parvati, and an expression of Shakti or Prakriti. She is at once the Kind Mother of the Universe and the Destroyer of Evil. She carries the Trishul and at times, the sword, varying in her several images. And one of her hand is shown in the Varadaa-Mudra or in the benevolent posture of boon-giver to the true devotee. In West Bengal, she is projected as an idol with ten arms. Each of the arms is carrying the weapons and articles, furnished to her by the other gods, for squelching the demon, Mahisasura.

Goddess Saraswati is the conferrer of Knowledge and Wisdom. The stringed musical instrument, called Veena, and the book, which she holds in her hands, attests her as the celestial Mistress of all kinds of learning, be it the creative arts (such as music) and scientific research, talent and skills. She is highly respected as the Mother of the Vedas. She is Brahma`s consort. This identity colours her image with deeper meaning. She is the habitat of Brahma`s creative intelligence. She is also the glorious Goddess of speech, Vak Devi.

In India several natural objects are also worshipped and some of the natural objects are considered as the forms of Indian Gods and Goddesses. Lord Agni or Fire-god is a Hindu and Vedic Deva. He is both beneficent and destructive. He is the messenger of gods, the acceptor of sacrifices. So all tributes made to him is distributed among other gods and goddesses. He retains perennial youth, and immortality because fire is utilised everyday. Agni or fire is fundamental to existence, being a constituent of the Panchamahabhutas or Five Great elements namely, earth or Prithvi, Agni or Tejas i.e., fire, Ap or Jala(water), and Akasha or sky.

In Hinduism, Vayu or Pavan Deva, god of air or wind, is a primary deity of worship. Like Agni, it is one of the five elements, forming Panchamahabhutas. The Sanskrit word `Vayu` is cognate to the Latin `vita`, meaning life. Indeed, Vayu is Prana or vital life-force. Prana mobilizes the senses or Indriyas. Prana is manifestation of Brahman in union with Prakriti, is the generator of thoughts and other psychological activities. Gross Prana is breath. Subtle Prana is vital force. Vayu or Pavan-Deva is hence the god of life, depicted as the `Mukhya-Vayu` (the chief Vayu) or `Mukhya Prana` (the chief of Life).

Furthermore, Indians worship the god of water and ocean, Lord Varuna. He is the source of water, which sustains life, the water in the rivers, sea and oceans, and even the rains that fall, and at times causes floods. He rides on his mount, Makara, or a kind of a sacred sea-creature. The ancient scriptures, however deliver a different data. In Vedic religion, Varuna is considered as the god of the rain, sky, and of the ocean. He is also the creator of Law and of the underworld. His residence is the celestial sea, Rasa. Rig Veda picturises him as the most prominent demon or Asura, interested in ethics and social matters. Also it celebrates him as the chief of the Gods. Varuna was the head of the Adityas, or the solar deities. The Atharva Veda highlights Varuna as the strict maintainer of morality. He is omniscient, catching liars in his snares. The stars are his thousand-eyed spies, keeping vigilance on every action of men. It is much later, that Varuna obtained his present status as the God of water.

The origin of Lord Kartikeya, the symbol of masculine might, has link with the gods` desperation for the birth of the much-awaited son of Shiva, who could obliterate the ghastly demon, Taraka. Unfortunately, Shiva at that time was keen on asceticism. Parvati, his consort, was pleaded by the distressed gods, reeling under Taraka`s assault. Parvati managed to procure Shiva`s divine essence in a seed, and handed it over to the gods. So fiery was this seed, that it burnt the fire-deity Agni, singed the wind-god Vayu, boiled the river-goddess Ganges and set alight the forest of reeds. After the conflagration got extinguished, the six forest nymphs known as Kritikas discovered a six-headed child under the embers within a lotus. They nursed the child after naming him Kartikeya. On the sixth day of his life, the child let out a roaring war-cry, picked up his lance, attacked and killed Taraka. He turned out to be the invincible commander of the gods and earned them countless victories. His mount is a peacock. In North India he is considered to be a bachelor. But in South India, he has two consorts. The first one is Devasena, daughter of Indra, king of the gods, who enthusiastically eulogized him for his outstanding bravery.

Hence the Gods of India from the ancient past are integral to the religious life of the Hindus. Apart from these well reckoned gods and goddesses, the Indians worship a huge number of deities and the list goes on with the beliefs of the people of India.