Indras

Indra is a principal deity in the Vedic tradition of ancient India, revered as the king of the Devas and ruler of the heavens, rain, and thunderstorms. The plural form Indras can refer to multiple figures named Indra in Hindu and related mythologies, or to different regional and textual variants of the same deity.

In myth and ritual, Indra's emblem is the vajra, and he is associated with weather control and warfare. In early texts, he leads the Devas in battles against the Asuras, most famously defeating the serpent Vrtra and releasing the waters to irrigate the earth. He is often invoked for victory in battles and for timely rains.

Iconography places him riding airavata in later traditions; his wife Shachi (Indrani) is his consort in many accounts. In the Vedas he appears as a vigorous and sometimes impulsive god; in later Hinduism his status is nuanced, with some texts portraying him as powerful but morally fallible, eclipsed in importance by Vishnu, Shiva, or the goddess(s) in other contexts.

The figure of Indra remains prominent in literature and art; his name is widely used as a given name across South Asia, and he is referenced in the Puranas, the epics, and regional myths. Across traditions, Indra's core aspects include rulership of the sky, control of rain, and pastoral and warrior authority.