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Indra

Adapted from Wikipedia · Explorer experience

A sculpture of the god Indra riding his elephant Airavata at the Banteay Srei temple in Cambodia.

Indra

Indra is a very old and special god from India. People love to tell stories about him because he is the god of rain, thunder, and lightning. He helps bring water to the land so plants can grow and people can stay happy and healthy.

Indra is most famous in very old books called the Rigveda. In these stories, he helps people by bringing rain when it is needed. He is often shown as a strong leader and is sometimes called the king of all gods. Indra appears in many different stories from Buddhist and Jain traditions too, where he lives in a beautiful sky home and helps good people.

Indra is usually pictured riding a magic elephant named Airavata. He carries a special tool called a vajra, which looks like a lightning bolt. His home is a lovely city high in the sky called Amaravati. People in many places respect Indra and tell his stories to teach important lessons.

Indra has many names and titles. In some places, he is called Śakra, meaning “the powerful one.” In Japan, he is known as Taishakuten. No matter what people call him, Indra is remembered as a kind and strong helper who brings the rain and sunshine.

Images

Ancient sculpture of a figure riding a horse from the Bhaja Caves in India.
A beautiful 12th-century sculpture of the Hindu deities Indra and Indrani, carved at the Hoysaleswara Temple in Karnataka, India.
Sculptures of the eight directional guardians in Indian mythology, representing various deities.
A traditional painting of Indra, a king of the gods in Hindu mythology.
A traditional painting of Indra, the king of gods in Hindu mythology, seated on his elephant mount Airavata, surrounded by attendants.
A historical Buddhist artwork from the Gandhara period, depicting scenes from the life of Gautama Buddha, displayed at the India National Museum in New Delhi.
A marble statue of Bhagvan Indra located on the walls of the Mirpur Jain Temple in Rajasthan, India.
Statues of the 37 chief nats at the Nat shrine on Mount Popa, representing Burmese spiritual traditions.

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Indra, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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