Our Deities

Shree Ganesh

Shree Surya Dev

Shree Ambe Maa

Shree Shiva, Shree Parvati, Shree Chand, Shree Nandi, Kaccha and Shree Hanuman

Shree Krishna, Shree Radha and Shree Garuda Dev

Ganapati is one of the most well known Hindu Gods, who is also worshiped by cultures outside India, such as South-East Asia and Japan. In the Puranic stories, He is regarded as the son of Shiva and Parvati. To those who consider Him supreme, He is the embodiment of the sacred symbol ‘Om’ from which the whole creation emerged.

He is the ‘Remover of Obstacles’, and is therefore worshiped daily to secure the smooth running of activities. As the Lord of auspicious beginnings, He is worshiped before all other deities and with exception to death rituals, He is invoked in all Hindu rites and passage. He is associated with the powers of success, prosperity, abundance, contentment and wisdom. These powers are each embodied by consort Goddesses who are often depicted with Ganapati.

At our Mandir, He is accompanied by Siddhi (success) and Riddhi (prosperity). Ganapati’s vahana (vehicle) is the mooshaka (mouse), which represents our fickle mind and short attention span that Ganapati helps us to control.

Surya, the Sun God, embodies the creative and life giving aspects of the Supreme Brahman. The light of the Sun is also associated with the inner light of our spiritual awareness. Surya is regarded as ‘Pratyaksha Deva’ or ‘the visible form of God’. Unlike the deities installed in the Temple or the fire of the yagna (sacrificial ceremony), offering prayers to the orb of the Sun is the simplest and easiest medium to which prayers can be offered. This is certainly the case for the performance of ‘Sandhyavandan’ which is a mandatory and universal ritual for all initiated Brahmins. Daily at sunrise, noon and sunset, the Gayatri Mantra, which is considered the essence of the Vedas is chanted facing the sun. Surya is worshiped for good health; particularly for healing skin disease. He is believed to bestow self-confidence and fame to worshipers and is also the Chief of the Navagrahas (nine planetary deities), who He is often worshiped with.  

Suryanarayan Dev in Shree Krishna Mandir, West Bromwich is the largest of its kind in Europe. Our Mandir is also one of the few Hindu Mandirs in the Western world where He is installed in His own dedicated shrine (He is usually installed with the Navagrahas in a simple side shrine). Here Surya is present in a standing posture with four arms, carrying two fully bloomed lotuses, prayer beads and water pot. He is standing on a chariot driven by seven horses which represent the seven days of the week. The horses are his vahana (vehicle) and are driven by his attendant Aruna (the God of dawn).  

Adhya-Shakti (original source energy), Devi (the Great Goddess) and Shree Mata (the Mother) are some of the names used to describe the great Mother Goddess. The Devi is the source of all Shakti (dynamic power) in the cosmos. All male deities are associated with one or several consorts (i.e. Saraswati with Brahma and Parvati with Shiva). These consort Goddesses are regarded as the personified Shakti of the ‘Shaktiman’ or the ‘male deity’ and are all incarnations of the one supreme Devi. Without Her Shakti, the Gods are powerless. 

Of the many forms in which this great feminine force is worshiped, Durga, the warrior Goddess is most popular.  Her pastime is most famously described in the Devi Mahatmayan (Durga Saptasati), where she appears several times to destroy demons such as Mahishasur, who have stolen the power of Indra and the other Gods. At a deeper level, these demons represent our inner evils and ignorance which the Devi helps us to overcome. Durga is depicted in both Ugra (fierce) and Saumya (peaceful) forms which in part relates to the creative and destructive forces in nature.  

At our Mandir, Durga is depicted in her most peaceful and serene form as Ambe Mata. This form of Devi is most popular in Gujarat due to the presence of the great Ambaji Temple in the State.  Here, She is depicted with 8 arms carrying discus, conch, club, sword, trident, bow-arrow, lotus and fear dispelling gesture. One of the most unique depictions of Ambe Mata in the UK, the Devi in West Bromwich is shown sitting on a pedestal. Her vehicle, the Lion is shown sitting at her feet.

Lord Shiva is the form of Brahman responsible for the destruction of the Universe. In Hinduism, time is cyclical, so destruction is seen as a necessary stage before the creation of a new Universe. In this respect, Shiva is associated with renewal, re-birth and spiritual growth. As one of the most widely worshiped deities in Hinduism, Shiva has many different aspects and forms. He is ‘Nataraja’, the ‘King of dance’, whose ‘tandava’ dance sets forth the cycle of time and the process of creation and destruction. As DakshinaMurti, he is the great teacher of enlightenment, as well as the Lord of yoga and meditation. The fierce Bhairava is the Lord of death and time. As Mrityunjaya, He is the one who helps conquer death. Puranas describe how Lord Shiva, without discrimination, grants blessings to Gods, demons and humans alike, this reflects His character as ‘Pashupati’; the Lord of all creatures and ‘Ashutosh’; He who is easily pleased.

Shiva is depicted with crystal white skin with three eyes, representing the Sun, moon and fire. As the ultimate yogi who has no attachments, Shiva wears His hair in dreadlocks, along with a necklace of snakes and garments of tiger skin. 

In our Mandir, Shiva is worshiped in the form of ‘ShivaLinga’, which is the most popular representation of the deity.  Amongst the many layers of symbolism, the ShivaLinga is the closest presentation of the formless and un-manifest aspects of Shiva. Shiva is most pleased with being bathed in water and other liquids, hence a dripping vessel of water permanently hangs over him. The rounded base upon which the curved egg-shaped Linga sits, is called the ‘jaladhara’. In addition to serving as a drain for the liquids poured onto the Linga, this pedestal is the representation of ‘Shakti’, or the female principle of the Divine who unites with Shiva, the male principle of bringing forth creation.  Shiva and Shakti are inseparable principles always worshiped together.

In the ‘Parivar’ or ‘family’ of Shiva, we also see:

Shiva’s Shakti or female half, manifests as his consort, Parvati. Her four armed image is installed in the niche behind the Shivalinga. She the Mother of Ganapati and the six headed Kartikeya.  

Chand or Chandikeshwara is one of the chief Ganas (attendants) of Shiva. He has the honour of receiving ‘nirmalya’ or the ‘offerings’ made to Shiva. In this respect, He sits directly underneath the jaladhara with cupped hands to accept the blessed liquids offered to Shiva. A common feature in South Indian Shiva temples, Shree Krishna Mandir is unique in being one of the few temples outside of India to honour this deity.

Another Gana, is the bull Nandi, who acts as Shiva’s vahana (vehicle). Sitting facing Shiva, Nandi symbolises dedication and devotion. 

Along with Nandi, we find a Kaccha, or tortoise.  A common feature of North Indian Shiva temples, the Kaccha represents detachment and patience.  

One of the partial incarnations of Lord Shiva (Rudra-amsha avatar), Hanuman is installed on the Northern wall of the Shiva shrine. The embodiment of humility and selfless service, Hanuman is the hero of the epic Ramayan and is the greatest devotee of Lord Rama. Like Krishna, Rama is another incarnation of Lord Vishnu, hence Hanuman is regarded as one of guardians of our Temple complex. 

Hanuman’s blessings are effective in mitigating negative astrological influences, particularly the much feared influence of Mars (Mangal) and Saturn (Shani) who preside on Tuesday and Saturday; days when Hanuman is worshipped. The female figure trampled by the Hanuman deity at Shree Krishna Mandir is the demoness ‘Panoti’ who is the embodiment of the undesirable influences of Saturn.

Vishnu, or the ‘All pervasive one’, is the Preserver of the Universe and the One who maintains cosmic order. He is regarded as ‘Purushottam’ (the highest, or most complete manifestation of Godhead) and Narayan (the One in whom all beings reside). The Vedas describe Vishnu as residing in ‘Paramapadam’, the highest realm. This is a place beyond time and space and is the final destination of all beings that have broken free from the cycle of birth and death.    

Vishnu is believed to take ‘Avatar’ (incarnate) on Earth during each cosmic cycle of the Universe. The Avatar destroys negative forces, protects the innocent, re-establishes the principles of Dharma and imparts spiritual teachings. Whilst Vishnu takes infinite Avatars, the Scriptures, such as the Bhagavad Purana and Vishnu Purana describe the ‘Lilas’ or pastimes of the 24 main Avatars of which Krishna, Rama and Narasimha are the most popular.

In our Mandir, Vishnu appears as Krishna, the incarnation that appeared approximately 5000 years ago in Mathura, North India. Scriptures such as the Bhagavad Purana and Mahabharata describe the detail of the pastimes of Krishna and his complex personality and roles. As a child, Krishna lives amongst the cow-herders of Gokul and Vrindavan. Here, He is remembered as the adorable child of Yashoda, a mischievous prankster and the Protector of cows. The Vrindavan Krishna is also the Supreme lover of the Gopis (milkmaids), who where enchanted by the melody of Krishna’s flute. Krishna later goes to Mathura to vanquish his evil Uncle Kansa and from there starts His adult pastimes which mostly centre around the Kingdom of Dwarka. Here, Krishna is remembered for His role as the skilled statesmen, ideal husband and Father, valiant warrior and mentor to his cousins, the Pandavas. Most significantly, Krishna acts as a Guru, or spiritual master, to his friend Arjuna, before the great Mahabharata war, where He reveals the ‘Bhagavad Gita’; the summary of the Vedic philosophy and science of yoga.

The Shakti (power) of Vishnu, is the Goddess Lakshmi. As the inseparable consort of Vishnu, Lakshmi appears with Him in every one of His Avatars and is therefore known by many names and forms. During the Krishna Avatar, Lakshmi appeared as the Gopi (milkmaid) Radharani in Vrindavan and later, as Queen Rukmini as Krishna’s consort in Dwarka. Similarly in the Rama Avatar She appeared as Sita.

Lakshmi or Radha is worshiped as the embodiment of beauty and as the Goddess of fortune. Radha in particular is idolised as the ideal and highest devotee of Krishna. The worship of Vishnu or His Avatars is considered incomplete without Lakshmi or one of Her forms, such as Radha. Regarded as the manifestation of the Lord’s compassion and grace, the Goddess is believed to mediate on behalf of worshippers who seek Vishnu’s forgiveness and pardon.

Positioned facing directly in front of the main sanctum, the eagle, Garuda is the eternal servant and vahana (vehicle) of Lord Vishnu (Krishna). The flapping wings of Garuda symbolise the rhythmic chanting of the Vedas. Garuda is usually depicted as golden in colour, with the combined body of a man and eagle and with His hands either joined in prayer posture or stretched to hold the feet of Vishnu.