SARASWATI DEVI

In the Vedic system Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge, music and the arts. Saraswati has been identified with the Vedic Saraswati River. She is considered as consort of Brahma, the god of creation. Thus, with the goddesses Lakshmi and Parvati or Durga, she forms the Tridevi.

Festivals: Saraswati Puja is performed on the 5th day of Magha month of Vedic Calendar. Saraswati Poojas are conducted during Navaratri, On the ninth day of Navaratri (Mahanavami), books and all musical instruments are ceremoniously kept near the gods early at dawn and worshipped with special prayers.

Famous temples: Saraswati temples are rare, major temples for the goddess are located in Basara Town (Andhra Pradesh), Shringeri, Pushkar, Panachikkad, Kumbakonam, Bhadrakali, Gairidhara and Handigaon in Nepal also have Saraswati temples of historical and/or popular significance.

PARVATHI DEVI

Parvati is a Hindu goddess. Parvati is also regarded as a representation of Shakti, albeit the gentle aspect of that goddess because she is a mother goddess. Parvati is nominally the second consort of Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction and rejuvenation. She also is regarded the daughter of the Himalayas.

Festivals: The Gauri Festival is celebrated on the seventh, eighth, ninth of Bhadrapada Shukla. She is worshipped as the goddess of harvest and protectress of women. The festival is popular in Maharashtra and Karnataka.

In Rajasthan the worship of Gauri happens during the Gangaur festival. The festival starts on the first day of Chaitra the day after Holi and continues for 18 days. Another very popular festival in regard to the Mother Parvati is Navratri, in which all her manfestations are worshiped for nine days.

Famous temples: Some of the famous temples where Parvati forms are predominantly worshipped include,
• 52 Shakti Peeths
• Meenakshi temple at Madurai in Tamilnadu, India
• Kamakshi Amman temple at Kanchipuram in Tamilnadu, India
• Akilandeswari temple at Thiruvanaikaval in Tamilnadu, India
• Visalakshi temple at Banaras,Uttar Pradesh,India

LAKSHMI DEVI

Lakshmi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity, light, wisdom, fortune, fertility, generosity and courage; and the embodiment of beauty, grace and charm. Representations of Lakshmi (or Shri) are found also in Jain monuments. She is the consort of Vishnu and married Rama (in her incarnation as Sita) and Krishna (as Radha and later Rukmini).

Ashta Lakshmi:

1.Adi Lakshmi [The First manifestation of Lakshmi]
2) Dhanya Lakshmi [Granary wealth]
3) Dhairya Lakshmi [Wealth of courage]
4) Gaja Lakshmi [Elephants, symbols of wealth]
5) Santana Lakshmi [Wealth of continuity, progeny]
6) Vijaya Lakshmi [Wealth of victory]
7) Vidya Lakshmi [Wealth of knowledge and education]
8) Dhana Lakshmi [Monetary wealth]

Hindus worship Lakshmi the most on Diwali, the festival of lights. According to tradition people would put small oil lamps outside their homes on Diwali and hope Lakshmi will come to bless them. In Bengal, Lakshmi is worshiped during a night in Autumn when the moon is full, the brightest night of the year. It is believed that she showers wealth on this night.

Two of the most famous prayers for worshipping Ma Lakshmi are: Sri Lakshmi Stuti By Indra and Sri Sukta.

Temples:

• Padmavati Temple,Tirupati.
• Ashta Lakshmi Temple, Chennai.
• Mahalakshmi Temple, Kolhapur.
• Mahalakshmi Temple, Mumbai

DURGA DEVI

The word Shakti means divine feminine force, and Durga is the warrior aspect of the Divine Mother. Other incarnations include Annapurna and Karunamayi (karuna kindness). Durga's darker aspect Kali is represented as the consort of god Shiva, on whose body she is often seen standing. In Hinduism, the Goddess Durga the inaccessible"or "the invincible" or Maa Durga (Mother Durga) "one who can redeem in situations of utmost distress". Durga is a form of Devi, the supremely radiant goddess, depicted as having ten arms, riding a lion or a tiger, carrying weapons.

Festivals: The four day long Durga Puja is the biggest annual festival in Bengal, Orissa and Bihar. It is celebrated likewise with much fervour in other parts of India, especially the Himalayan region, but is celebrated in various forms throughout the Hindu universe. The day of Durga's victory is celebrated as Vijaya Dashmi, Dashain or Dussehra - these words literally mean "the Victorious Tenth" The actual period of the worship however may be on the preceding nine days (Navaratri) followed by the last day called Vijayadashami.

Temples in India
* Matrimandir in the city of Auroville near Pondicherry in Tamil Nadu.
* Ambika Mata Temple in the village of Jagat near Mount Abu in Rajasthan, India.
* Bhairabi Devalaya, in Tezpur, Assam.
* Kalighat Temple, Kolkata.
* Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati, Assam.
* Kanaka Durga Temple, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh.
* Shanta Durga temple in Goa.
* Shila Devi temple at Amber Jaipur Rajasthan.
* Shitla Mata temple at Patna Bihar.
* Amaramkavu temple at Kolani Thodupuzha Kerala.

GAYATRI DEVI

Gayatri is the feminine form of gayatra, a Sanskrit word for a song or a hymn. Originally the personification of the Gayatri mantra, revered by both Buddhists and Hindus worldwide, the goddess Gayatri is considered the Veda mata, the mother of all Vedas and also the personification of the all-pervading Parabrahman. Gayatri Veda Mata is seen by many Hindus to be not just a Goddess, but a portrayal of Brahman himself, in the feminine form.

Gayatri is typically portrayed as seated on a red lotus, signifying wealth. She appears in either of these forms

• Having five heads with the ten eyes looking in the eight directions plus the earth and sky, and ten arms holding all the weapons of Vishnu, symbolizing all her reincarnations.
• Accompanied by a white swan, holding a book to portray knowledge in one hand and a cure in the other, as the goddess of Education.

KALI MATA

Kali also known as Kalika. She is a Hindu goddess associated with eternal energy. The name Kali means "black". She is today considered the goddess of time and change.

Kali is represented as the consort of god Shiva, on whose body she is often seen standing. She is associated with many other Hindu goddesses like Durga, Bhadrakali, Sati, Rudrani, Parvati and Chamunda. She is the foremost among the Dasa-Mahavidyas, ten fierce Tantric goddesses.