In the ancient Vedic religion of India, chief of the gods and patron of warriors.
Armed with lightning and thunderbolts and strengthened by drinking the elixir soma , he vanquished demonic enemies and killed the dragon that kept the monsoon rains from breaking. In later Hinduism Indra was demoted to a rain god and regent of the heavens. He was father to Arjuna , hero of the Mahabharata . Indra also appears in Buddhist and Jain mythologies.