I

n isolation from other parts of the world

for extended periods, India, China, and

Japan developed their own distinctive

early civilizations. The cultures of these

countries were very diferent, but they

did have certain things in common. One of the

strongest links was the faith of Buddhism,

which emerged from India in the 5th or 6th

century bce, and later spread out to the rest of

South and East Asia. In both China and Japan,

the influence of Buddhism became even more

pervasive than in its country of origin.

The mythologies of India, China, and Japan

are very diferent too, but have one common

element – a pantheon containing an almost

uncountable number of deities and spirits.

There are more gods in South and East Asia

than in any other part of the world. The Indian

subcontinent alone is the home

of four major world religions:

Hinduism, Buddhism,

Jainism, and Sikhism.

Of the four, it was Hinduism that developed

a mythology with many deities, a pantheon

of beings who preside over a universe in a

constantly turning cycle of history. From

little-known local gods to great figures such

as Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva – the trinity

who preside over the whole cosmos as creator,

preserver, and destroyer, respectively – Hindu

deities all have their own stories, personalities,

and attributes. They are unified by the concept

that, although they are distinct, they all form

aspects of one single reality.

China’s vast family of gods and goddesses

are organized in a very diferent way. They are

seen as an imperial court, headed by a supreme

emperor, who is the cosmic equivalent of the

human emperor that once ruled China. In

theory, each deity has a role analogous to an

oicial or courtier on Earth, but in reality the

situation is much less clear. Chinese popular

religion, suppressed under Communism but

still alive in many Chinese communities, is

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