Indra

Indra (Devanagari: इन्द्र) also known as Śakra is the most important among the Indo-Aryan gods. He is the god of war, the god of thunderstorms.^[1] In the Vedas, many verses (hymns) are there in his praise. The Rigveda praises him as a very strong god. Many Hindu scriptures tell about Indra, his character and his deeds.

Indra resides in a mythical city located above in the sky. The city’s name is Amaravati. He lives there with his wife named Shachi, and several other smaller gods and goddesses. There are many apsaras in Amaravati.

Indra was a very important god during the Vedic period. Later his importance became less. Gods like Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva became more important in Hinduism.

Indra in current form of Hindu mythology, is similar to that of Zeus in Greek mythology. Though his importance has come down, he is still considered to be king of the gods. His status is below that of Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva. Thus, he is the king of the lesser Gods.

Again, his weapon is Vajra, which is the lightning. His means, at times, treacherous and he is shown as, at times, jealous, vengeful. Further, he is made to suffer his own bad deeds.

References

↑ Perry, Edward Delavan (1885). "Indra in the Rig-Veda". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 11: 121. doi:10.2307/592191. JSTOR 592191. Retrieved 12 July 2012.

Masson-Oursel, P.; Morin, Louise (1976). "Indian Mythology." In New Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology, pp. 325–359. New York: The Hamlyn Publishing Group.
Janda, M., Eleusis, das indogermanische Erbe der Mysterien (1998).
http://www.magellanexperiences.com/tirta_empul_temple.htm Archived 2009-05-15 at the Wayback Machine

Other websites

[1] Perry, Edward Delavan (1885). "Indra in the Rig-Veda". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 11: 121. doi:10.2307/592191. JSTOR 592191. Retrieved 12 July 2012.

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