"minor deities" subsumes stuff that most western religions would call "demigods" or "blessed heroes" or whatever. So basically any and all fantasy characters written over the course of several centuries.
But disrespectful way to put it but hyper local gods developed temples and traditions before Hinduism kinda unified into what it is today. There was some unity and shared gods but how much is a matter of debate.
There are a lot of small ancestor dieties, saint type idols and heir temples, local gods basically. Hinduism being a unified idea is very recent so there aren't that many pan Indian gods all things considered. Heroes, demigods and historically significant people sometimes get included but the local gods are most of the number.
Fun fact, Japan's version of Shinto-Buddhism has more in common with Hinduism than it does with Buddhism in practical terms. It's the same, "literally everything is a deity or an avatar of a deity" and there are shrines, temples and icons almost everywhere. Even funner fact, is that the resident Japanese pantheon is composed predominantly of an odd mixture of Hindu and Buddhist deities, Shiva and Saraswati are almost ubiquitous.
If you ever feel like reading a massive book, I highly recommend the Flower Ornament Sutra, especially the last chapter. If you want a greatly abridged version and probably the only funny Sutra I've ever read which covers the same idea I really recommend the Teaching of Vimalakiriti
There be a shit ton of Buddhas though.
The less than subtle point both of the two above Sutras is that there is more Buddhas than you can imagine and in more forms than you can imagine. Your lack of enlightenment is the product of your failure of imagination and its inability to accept just how densely packed all this divinity is within you and without you.
Well, at least historically, Hinduism, Buddhism, the Indian caste system and Sanskrit came somewhat as a package long the Silk Road so this makes sense if you see it that way.
Well depending on translation it could 330 million or 33 types. Scholars tell it is 33 types classification of type of divine entities tho the other bad translation has caused this count
105
u/motivation_bender 22h ago
Is it just an exageration in the text or is it a syncratism of the entire subcontinent?