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Also known as : SAKRA, VAJRI, PURAMDARA, SVARGAPAT, SURADHIPA, RBHUKSA, MAHENDRA, MAGHAVAN, VASAVA, MEGHA-VAHANA, ULUKA, SATA-KRATU, JISNU, MARUTVAN, SVARGA-PATI, MEHAVAHANA, VRITRAHAN, UGRA-DHANVAN

God of : War (Vedic) | Religion : Hindu | Vahana (Vehicle) : Airavata (White four tusked elephant)

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Vedic God of Gods with a split personality of serious extremes.

He is the protector of humans, especially warriors whom he carries to his mobile heaven Svarga after death. He's a jovial character, always telling jokes and full of banter, there will be no miserable faces in his court, thankyou very much. With Soma running freely death would be one long party.

But his God of war Persona was something completely different. The son of Dyaus Pita and Prthivi was born fully grown and armed to the teeth. Riding Airavata his albino elephant with two heads and carrying thunderbolts Indra is not to be messed with.

He smashed through Vrtra's ninety nine fortresses then ripped him open to reclain the stolen waters of earth, murdered the innocent son of a priest because he feared his potential power and was relentlessley persued by the crazed Brahman Brahminicide who rose up from the destroyed Vritra. He had to give up his thrown and become a woman to get rid of her! And then there were the cows!

He wasn't averse to an affair or two either - although married to Indrani the daughter of Puloman who Indra had earlier destroyed, he also had a fling with Ahalya the wife of his guru .. how's that for gratitude?

He was knocked right off his perch when Indian religions went head to head for top dog status and the Trimurti of Shiva, Brahma and Vishnu were introduced into Hinduism. Karttikeya became the new no frills god of war and Indra is now mostly portrayed as a bumbling fool who the 'real' gods have to dig out of the holes he often talks himself into. How the mighty have fallen.