Brahma

Brahmā (Sanskrit: ब्रह्मा; IAST:Brahmā) is the Hindu god (deva) of creation and one of the Trimūrti, the others being Viṣņu and Śiva. According to theBrahmā Purāņa, he is the father of Manu, and from Manu all human beings are descended. In the Rāmāyaņa and the Mahābhārata, he is often referred to as the progenitor or great grandsire of all human beings. He is not to be confused with the Supreme Cosmic Spirit in Hindu Vedānta philosophy known as Brahmān, which is genderless. Brahmā's wife is Sarasvati. Sarasvati is also known by names such as Sāvitri and Gāyatri, and has taken different forms. Sarasvati is the Vedic Goddess, revered as Vedamāta, meaning Mother of the Vedas. Brahmā is often identified with Prajāpati, a Vedicdeity.

TEMPLES IN INDIA:

Though almost all Hindu religious rites involve prayer to Brahmā, very few temples are dedicated to His worship. Among the most prominent is the Brahmā temple at Pushkar. Once a year, on Kartik Poornima, the full moon night of the Hindu lunar month of Kartik (October – November), a religious festival is held in Brahmā's honour. Thousands of pilgrims come to bathe in the holy Pushkar Lake adjacent to the temple.

Temples to Brahmā also exist in Thirunavaya in Kerala, in the temple town of Kumbakonam in the Thanjavur District of Tamil Nadu in Kodumudi, Tamil Nadu in Asotra village in Balotra taluka of Rajasthan's Barmer district, known as Kheteshwar Brahmadham Tirtha.In the coastal state of Goa,a shrine belonging to 5th century AD, in the small, remote village of Carambolim in the Sattari Taluka in the northeast region of the state is found. Regular pujas are held for Lord Brahmā at the temple in Thirunavaya, and during Navrathris this temple comes to life with colourful festivities. There is also a shrine for Brahmā within the BrahmapureeswararTemple in Thirupatur, near Trichy, and a famous murti of Brahmā exists at Mangalwedha, 52 km from the Solapur district of Maharashtra. Statues of Brahmā may be found in Khedbrahma, Gujarat, and in Sopara near Mumbai. There is a temple dedicated to Lord Brahmā in the temple town of Sri Kalahasti near Tirupati inAndhra Pradesh. The largest and most famous shrine to Lord Brahmā may be found in Cambodia's Angkor Wat.

In Java, Indonesia, the 9th century Prambanan Trimurti temple mainly is dedicated to Śiva, however Brahmā and Viṣņu also venerated in separate large shrines inside the temple compound, a single large shrine dedicated to Brahmā on southern side of Śiva temple. There is a statue of Brahmā at the Erawan Shrine inBangkok. The golden dome of the Government House of Thailand also contains a statue of Phra Phrom (Thai representation of Brahmā).