Worship of the murti, the sacred image, is central to Hinduism.

Worship of the murti, the sacred image, is central to Hinduism. Many of the nineteenth century reform movements rejected the practice as outdated and superstitious. Some Hindu traditions, such as ancient Charvakas rejected all deities and concept of god or goddess, while 19th-century British colonial era movements such as the Arya Samaj and Brahmo Samaj rejected deities and adopted monotheistic concepts similar to Abrahamic religions. Many ancient idols lie abandoned. Nonetheless, sacred-image worship remains central today in helping many Hindus develop and express their relationship with God. Hindu deities have been adopted in other religions such as Jainism, and in regions outside India such as predominantly Buddhist Thailand and Japan where they continue to be revered in regional temples or arts.

The deities of Hinduism have evolved from the Vedic era (2nd millennium BCE) through the medieval era (1st millennium CE), regionally within Nepal, India and in southeast Asia, and across Hinduism's diverse traditions. The Hindu deity concept varies from a personal god as in Yoga school of Hindu philosophy, to 33 Vedic deities, to hundreds of Puranics of Hinduism. Illustrations of major deities include Vishnu, Lakshmi, Shiva, Parvati (Durga), hanuman, Brahma and Saraswati. These deities have distinct and complex personalities, yet are often viewed as aspects of the same Ultimate Reality called Brahman.

Hindu deities are represented with various icons and anicons, in paintings and sculptures, called Murtis and Pratimas. Though the murti is perceivable to our senses, Hindus consider it Brahman (spirit). Hindu thinkers differentiate between matter and spirit, but on a higher level consider both to be Brahman. God can change matter into spirit and spirit into matter. He is compared to an expert electrician who can use electricity to refrigerate and to heat. Though people in ignorance cannot perceive spirit (and hence God), the Lord may agree to appear before them in a visible form so that they can develop their relationship with him. The murti, though appearing to be matter, may function as spirit. ✨🐒🕉🙏🏻 🎨

Hari Om Tat Sat ~ Om Namah Shivaya ~ Jai Shri Ram 🐒👁🐒