Hindu Trinity

A conjunction of the Creator, Preserver and Destroyer Gods in Hindu religion is commonly referred to as the Hindu trinity. These three powers having different functions are a combination of Brahma, Vishnu and Siva with the duties of creating, preserving and destroying the universe respectively.

Each of these is characterized by having several distinctive features, a different form of nature, a separate vehicle to ride upon, a unique symbol and a powerful consort with distinct manifestations.

The creator God of the Trinity is Lord Brahma. This four-headed God is seen comfortably seated on a huge lotus flower and has Goddess Saraswati as his Consort. The Goddess always dressed in white is the Goddess of knowledge and is therefore much adored and worshiped by the students, artist, musicians, etc.

From the cosmological point of view, Lord Brahma is a Golden Embryo from which the universe develops. All his heads face four different quarters and are taken to be a representative of the four Vedas, four Yugas (epochs of time) and the four Varnas (divisions of society based on nature, nurture and vocation).

Only one temple in India dedicated to Lord Brahma exists which is in Pushkar, Rajasthan. The annual fair at the temple attracts several pilgrims every year to Pushkar.

Also known as Mahavishnu, the preserver Lord of the trinity is Vishnu. Considered to be the centripetal force responsible for sustenance, protection and maintenance of the created Universe, Lord Vishnu represents the sattvaguna. Characterized by a dark blue complexion like that of a hue, Lord Vishnu is also referred to as Narayana.

The lord is characterized by an icon having one human face with four arms holding Conch, Discus, Mace and a Lotus. Vaijayanti mala and Kaustubha necklace are also inseperable symbols of the Lord. He has Lakshami, the godess of wealth, as his consort.

Supposed to have 10 incarnations, the Lord has Garuda, a half man, half-eagle as his vehicle. Out of all his incarnations, Rama and Krishna are the most popular and adored ones.

The last but not least of this Trinity, responsible for the dissolution of the Universe is Shiva. It is believed that post destruction entire universe hibernates in him till the next cycle of creation. Depending upon the requirements, Lord Shiva may have two, three, four, eight, 10 or even 32 hands.

Lord Shiva is mainly seen holding a trident and a rosary. One of the most unique characteristic of the Lord is that he has poisonous snakes encircled around his neack and his entire body is of a sea blue color.

Also known as a renowned master of dance, he is worshipped as Nataraja also being capable of 108 modes of dance. He has Parvati (also known as Uma, Sati, Kali and Durga) as his consort.

With a bull named Nandi as his vehicle, Shiva is accompanied by two of his sons, Ganapati and Kartikeya, in some of the temples.