Indra, inHindu mythology, the king of the gods. He is one of the main gods of theRigveda and is the Indo-European cousin of the German Wotan, NorseOdin, GreekZeus, and RomanJupiter.

In early religious texts, Indra plays a variety of roles. As king, he leads cattle raids against thedasas, ordasyus, native inhabitants of the lands over which his people range. He brings rain as god of the thunderbolt, and he is the great warrior who conquers the anti-gods (asuras). He also defeats innumerable human and superhuman enemies, most famously the dragonVritra, a leader of thedasas and a demon ofdrought. Vritra is accused as a dragon of hoarding the waters and the rains, as adasa of stealing cows, and as an anti-god of hiding the Sun. Indra is strengthened for those feats by drinks of the elixir of immortality, thesoma, which priests offer to him in the sacrifice. Among his allies are theRudras (or Maruts), who ride the clouds and direct storms. Indra is sometimes referred to as “the thousand-eyed.”

In laterHinduism, Indra is no longer worshipped but plays the important mythological roles of god of rain, regent of the heavens, and guardian of the east. Later texts note that break in the worship of Indra. In theMahabharata, Indra fathers the great heroArjuna and tries in vain to prevent the god of fire,Agni, from burning a great forest. In thePuranas, ancient collections of Hindumyths andlegends,Krishna, anavatar ofVishnu, persuades the cowherds of Gokula (or Vraja, modern Gokul) to stop their worship of Indra. Enraged, Indra sends down torrents of rain, butKrishna lifts Mount Govardhana on his fingertip and gives the people shelter under it for seven days until Indra relents and pays him homage.

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In painting and sculpture, Indra is often depicted riding his whiteelephant, Airavata. Indra also plays a part in theJain andBuddhist mythology of India. WhenMahavira, the Jain saviour and reformer, cuts off his hair to signify his renunciation of the world, Indra, as king of the gods, receives the hair into his hands. Buddhist mythology sometimes mocks Indra and sometimes portrays him as a mere figurehead.