Indra , also known as Åakra in the Vedas, is the leader of the Devas or gods and the lord of Svargaloka or heaven in Hinduism. He is the god of rain and thunderstorms. He wields a lightning thunderbolt known as vajra and rides on a white elephant known as Airavata. Indra is the supreme deity and is the brother of Varuna and Yama and is also mentioned as an Äditya, son of Aditi. His home is situated on Mount Meru in the heaven. He has many epithets, notably vá¹á¹£an the mighty, and vá¹trahan, slayer of Vá¹tra, Meghavahana "the one who rides the clouds" and Devapati "the lord of gods or devas". Indra appears as the name of a daeva in Zoroastrianism , while his epithet, Verethragna, appears as a god of victory. Indra is also called Åakra frequently in the Vedas and in Buddhism . He is known in Burmese as áááá¼á¬á¸áááºá¸, pronounced: ; in Thai as à¸à¸£à¸°à¸à¸´à¸à¸à¸£à¹ Phra In, in Khmer as ááááá¥áááááᶠpronounced , in Malay as Indera,in Kannada as à²à²à²¦à³à²° Indra, in Telugu as à°à°à°¦à±à°°à±à°¡à± Indrudu, in Tamil as à®à®¨à¯à®¤à®¿à®°à®©à¯ Inthiran, Chinese as å¸é天 DìshìtiÄn, and in Japanese as å¸é天 Taishakuten. He is celebrated as a demiurge who pushes up the sky, releases Ushas from the Vala cave, and slays Vá¹tra; both latter actions are central to the Soma sacrifice. He is associated with Vajrapani - the Chief Dharmapala or Defender and Protector of the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha who embodies the power of the Five Dhyani Buddhas. On the other hand, he also commits many kinds of mischief for which he is sometimes punished. In Puranic mythology, Indra is bestowed with a heroic and almost brash and amorous character at times, even as his reputation and role diminished in later Hinduism with the rise of the Trimurti.