This book is concerned with the triad of classical Indian mythology, Brahma the Creator, Visnu the preserver and Siva the destroyer. These gods did not always dominate the Indian religion; the way in which the gods of the Vedic pantheon many of whom are recognizably related to other Indo-European gods' were changed over time and with the cultural and social needs of the population they served, is traced in broad outlines. The gods of the triad assimilated lesser gods, and their attributes, in this process, until they reached their positions of major importance.