Hindu

South Asia and its diaspora, from the Vedic period (c. 1500 BCE) to now.

The Vedic gods of the Rigveda (Indra, Agni, Varuna) differ from the Puranic gods (Vishnu, Shiva, Devi) who dominate worship today, though the lines are not clean. Genealogies in the Puranas differ between texts and between traditions, and the relationships shown here are those most widely told, not a single canonical tree.

Vishvarupa Vishnu, Kashmir or Himachal, in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art collection.

Family graph

Parent lines run downward, partners are joined by a thicker line. Select a deity to trace its ancestry.

Choose a deity to see where it comes from. Dashed lines are links the sources describe that are not parent and child.

The deities

Dyaus Pitarsky father Prithviearth Indrathunder, rain, kingship of the Vedic gods Agnifire, the sacrifice, messenger of the gods Varunacosmic order (ṛta), waters Suryasun Yamathe first dead, king of the dead Ushasdawn Vishnupreservation, the universe's order Lakshmifortune, prosperity Shivadestruction and renewal, asceticism, yoga Parvatipower (shakti), marriage, mountains Ganeshabeginnings, obstacles, learning Kartikeyawar, youth Saraswatilearning, music, speech Durgathe Goddess, protection, victory over evil Krishnalove, divine play, the Gita's teacher

Today

Hinduism is a living religion with about 1.2 billion followers. Deities here are not 'myths' for the people who worship them; they are worshipped daily in homes and temples, and different traditions (Vaishnava, Shaiva, Shakta, Smarta) see different deities as supreme or as forms of one reality.

More traditions

Odin rides to Hel, W. G. Collingwood, after the Poetic Edda.

Sources used

Rigveda (c. 1500-1200 BCE)
Upanishads
Mahabharata and Ramayana
Puranas, e.g. Vishnu Purana, Shiva Purana, Bhagavata Purana
Devi Mahatmya (Markandeya Purana)