the main god in vaishnavite sect of hinduism is vishnu. vishnu is revered as supreme paramatman in vaishnava tradition. shiva is the supreme, in shaivite traditions while in shakti traditions, adi parashakti is supreme. other names such as ishvara, bhagavan, bhagvati, parmeshwara and paramatamana also means hindu gods and all of them mainly denote brahman. vishnu, shiva and brahma are the major gods and lakshmi, parvati and saraswati are the major goddesses in hinduism. many hindus believe that brahma is the creator, vishnu is the preserver and shiva or maheshwar is destroyer.