Brahma – The creator; one of the three gods that make up the Trimurti

(Pronounced brah-muh)

To remember the meaning of the Hindu term Brahma, use the following mnemonic:

Brahms' mother (Brahma) knew he was a great creator of music even when he was a small child, but she never expected he would be regarded as a god of music.

Brahma is one of the three gods of the Hindu triumvirate, known as the trimurti. The other two are Vishnu and Shiva. These three are responsible, respectively, for the creation, upkeep and destruction of the world.

Hindus credit Brahma with the creation of the world and all its creatures. Despite this incredible feat, Brahma is, today, one of the least worshipped god in Hinduism.

In the whole of India, there are just two temples devoted to him. This compares with many thousands of temples devoted to Vishnu and Shiva.

Brahma has four heads and many believe that from these heads came the four Vedas, the ancient religious texts. Some also believe that the Indian caste system (the way Hindus are classified into different groups or orders of privilege) came from different parts of Brahma's body.

Brahma has four arms and is most often depicted with a beard. His consort is Saraswati, goddess of knowledge.