Saraswati

Saraswati is one of the most powerful Hindu goddesses, the goddess of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom, and learning. Together with the goddesses Lakshmi and Parvati, she is one of the Tridevi.

The Rigveda has the oldest recorded reference of Saraswati as a goddess. She has continued to be an important goddess from the Vedic era to the present day of Hindu religions. Her four arms are typically represented carrying a book, a rosary, a water container, and a vena, a musical instrument. In Hinduism, each of these objects has a symbolic value. On the day of Basant Panchami, which is also the first day of spring, Saraswati Puja is performed. Early in the morning, devotees visit her temples in the hopes of receiving wisdom and enlightenment.

In her honor, some Hindus observe the festival of Vasant Panchami, which falls on the fifth day of spring and is also known as Saraswati Puja and Saraswati Jayanti in many parts of India. To commemorate the occasion, some Hindus teach young children how to write the alphabet on that day. Along with some Buddhist sects, followers of the Jain religion from west and central India also hold the goddess in high regard.