Vishnu
Vishnu is one of the most important gods of Hinduism, and the most widely worshipped. Together with Shiva and Brahma, he belongs to the triad of great gods known as the Trimurti. Brahma is the creator, Vishnu, the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer. Vishnu is a powerful god whose wrath can be terrible, but on the whole he is a benevolent deity, and far less frightening than Shiva. Many regard Vishnu as the highest god, dubbing him the Brahman, the Hindu concept of âabsoluteâ or supreme reality. Heâs just the best.
Vishnu is usually depicted as a beautiful young man, blue in colour and with four arms. He usually holds a club, attributed with the power of knowledge, a conch shell, associated with the origins of existence, a wheel, representing creation and destruction, and the lotus, associated with the sun. His mount is the mythical bird Garuda, and his consort is Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and good fortune. In the intervals between Brahmaâs successive creations and Shivaâs destruction, Vishnu is believed to lie asleep on the cosmic waters, atop the many-headed world snake  Ananta. During the sleep, he slowly develops into another avatar, who will appear in the impending cycle of creation to help us humans out.
His main function is to ensure the triumph of good over evil. Simple enough. He may have originated as a solar deity in ancient hymns, but was later credited with measuring out the universe to make it inhabitable. His most well-known deeds are done in the forms of his avatars. The Hindu Flood Myth has features Matsya, Vishnuâs fish avatar saving humanity, and the most important avatar of Vishnu was the warrior Raama, who defeated the Demon King, Ravana.Â
