common questions and misconceptions
Do Hindus worship one god or many?
One reality, many forms
Much of Hindu thought teaches that behind all the many gods and goddesses there is one ultimate reality. Different traditions name it differently, but the idea is that the divine is one, and the many deities are forms or expressions of that one reality. So worshipping Vishnu, Shiva, Lakshmi, or Durga is not seen as worshipping separate, competing gods. Each is a face of something much larger. The Upanishadic tradition puts this most directly, but you find the same idea running through Puranic stories and devotional practice too.
Why so many deities
Each deity carries a set of qualities, stories, and meanings. Saraswati is associated with learning and creativity. Ganesha is linked to beginnings and removing obstacles. Lakshmi with abundance. Shiva with time, transformation, and stillness. Having many forms lets people connect with the divine in different ways depending on what they need, what they feel close to, or what their family has always done. The tradition treats this as richness, not contradiction.
Different paths within the tradition
Hindu practice is not one single thing. Different communities and sects have always centred on different deities. Some communities are deeply devoted to Vishnu or one of his forms like Krishna or Rama. Others centre on Shiva, or on the Goddess in her many names. For most people, one deity becomes their chosen focus, sometimes called their ishta devata, the deity they feel personally close to. That does not mean the others are rejected. It just means devotion has a personal centre.
How people hold it today
People answering this question from outside often expect a simple yes or no. The honest answer is that it depends on whom you ask and how you look at it. A philosopher in the Vedanta tradition might say there is really only one. A devoted worshipper of Krishna might talk about their relationship with Krishna as deeply personal, almost as with another being. A family doing daily puja might honour several deities naturally. All of these exist within the same broad tradition. That range of practice is part of what makes Hinduism hard to fit into simple categories. People inside and outside the tradition often find that surprising.