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Hindu iconography

Hinduism is polytheist and therefore has a multitude of gods and goddesses. These deities are frequently considered to be the manifestations of a single superior principle and the incarnations of the great positive and negative forces of the universe, but they also protect their followers. The best known are Śiva, his wife Pārvatī (or Durgā) and his son Gaṇeśa (or Ganesh), who has an elephant head; Viṣṇu and his avatar Kṛṣṇa, the object of intense devotion; and the fearsome Kāli.