Figure in the Hindu festival stories
Indra
King of the devas, lord of storms
Also known as Devendra, Shakra.
In short
Indra is the king of the devas and lord of storms, thunder, and rain in Hindu tradition. Wielding the thunderbolt (vajra) and riding the white elephant Airavata, he is the mightiest of the celestial gods. In the Bhagavata Purana he is famously humbled by the child Krishna at Govardhan, an event remembered each year in Govardhan Puja.
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Indra’s story and role
Indra is the foremost of the Vedic gods, ruler of the heavenly realm (Svarga), commander of the devas, and the deity who brings the rains that make the earth fruitful. He carries the vajra, the thunderbolt, and rides Airavata, his great white elephant. In the older Vedic hymns he is celebrated above all for slaying the drought-serpent Vritra and releasing the waters. Yet across the Puranas he is also portrayed as proud and easily threatened when his worship or authority is challenged.
The Bhagavata Purana tells how the cowherds of Vrindavan customarily offered a great sacrifice to Indra for rain. The young Krishna persuaded them instead to honour Govardhan hill and their cattle, the true immediate sources of their sustenance. Enraged at losing his offering, Indra unleashed torrential, destructive rains to punish the village. Krishna, still a child, lifted the entire Govardhan hill upon his little finger and held it aloft like an umbrella, sheltering the people and cows beneath it for seven days and nights until the storm exhausted itself.
Realising he had raised his fury against the Supreme Lord himself, Indra descended on Airavata, bowed at Krishna's feet, and begged forgiveness. In the traditional account he then honoured Krishna with a reverent anointing. This victory of humble devotion over heavenly pride is celebrated as Govardhan Puja (Annakut), observed the day after Diwali, when devotees build mounds of food representing the hill and worship Govardhan and Krishna.
What Indra represents
Indra symbolises worldly power, kingship, and the forces of nature, and, in the Govardhan story, the pride and ego that must bow before genuine devotion and the divine. He also embodies the life-giving rains on which the earth depends.
Festivals with Indra
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About Indra
Who is Indra in Hindu tradition?
He is the king of the devas and the god of thunder, storms, and rain, wielder of the vajra (thunderbolt) and rider of the white elephant Airavata. He rules the heavenly realm and leads the gods, and in the Vedas is praised for slaying the serpent Vritra to release the waters.
Why did Indra send a storm against Vrindavan?
In the Bhagavata Purana, Krishna convinced the cowherds to stop their yearly offering to Indra and honour Govardhan hill and their cattle instead. Angered at losing his worship, Indra sent destructive rains to punish the village.
How was Indra humbled by Krishna?
Krishna lifted the whole of Govardhan hill on his little finger and held it as a shelter over the villagers and their cows for seven days. Defeated, Indra recognised Krishna as the Supreme Lord, came down on Airavata, and bowed at his feet in repentance.
What festival remembers this story?
Govardhan Puja, also called Annakut, celebrated the day after Diwali. Devotees worship Govardhan hill and Krishna, often making a mound of many foods to represent the hill that Krishna lifted.
What does Indra's defeat at Govardhan teach?
The story is traditionally read as pride and worldly power bowing before sincere devotion and the divine. It also shifts reverence toward nature close at hand, the hill and the cows, that directly sustains life.
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