Hindu mythology is one of the world's oldest continuous traditions, drawing on the Vedas, the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata, and the Puranas. Its central cosmic principle is the cycle of creation, preservation, and dissolution, personified in the three great gods of the Trimurti.
These three roles belong to Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the transformer. Each is paired with a goddess whose power, or shakti, makes divine action possible.
Beyond the great gods stand beloved deities such as the fortune-bringing Lakshmi, the fierce mother Parvati, and the elephant-headed Ganesha, remover of obstacles. Together they form a pantheon worshipped daily across the Hindu world.
