Though during the earlier period only male gods were worshipped but in course of time the wives of the gods, whose existence had been recognized even earlier, began to be worshipped. The worship of mother goddesses started only in the Gupta period and continued to be in vogue till the wave of devotional Vaishnavism swept Northern India with the arrival of the Muslims.
However in certain parts like Bengal and Assam, the mother goddesses continued to be worshipped. The prominent mother goddesses which were worshipped in ancient India included Parvati, the wife of Siva, Lakshmi, the wife of Vishnu, Mahadevi (the great goddess), Sati (The Virtuous), Gauri (The Fair one), Annapurna (The Bestowed of Food), Mata (The mother) in various aspects. In the grim aspects the mother was known as Durga (inaccessible), Kali (the Black one), and Chandi (The Fierce). Lion is represented as the usual mount of the goddess in fierce mood.
In addition to Vishnu, Siva and mother goddesses, the people of India also worshipped lesser gods. The popularity of the different gods differed in different periods. Some of these gods represented the natural Phenomena, The most prominent lesser gods worshipped by the people included Brahma (The Prajapati of later Vedic times), Sifrya (the sun), Indra, the Vedic war-god, Varuna, Yama (The death God), Kubera (lord of precious metals, minerals, jewels and wealth), Soma, Vayu (the wind god), Agni (fire), Kartikeya, Ganesha, Hanuman, Kama (desire) etc.
In addition to the various gods and demigods, the people in ancient India worshipped certain animals and plants. Amongst the animals the cow was given the maximum regard and five products of the cow- milk, curd, butter, urine and dung- were considered significant because they possessed great purifying potency.
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The bull was also given honor as the mount of Siva. In most of the Siva temples the image of Nandi (bull) finds a prominent position and is honored with offerings. The snake was another animal which was given great reverence by the people of ancient India. The legendary serpents like Sesa and Vasuki were given great regard and worshipped. Offerings were made to the snakes at the beginning of the rainy season.
Amongst the prominent plants and trees which were worshipped by the people mention may be made of pippala or asvattha. The tree of Asoka was worshipped mainly by the women who were keen to have children. The plant of tulsi, which was connected with Vishnu, was also worshipped specifically on the village side. Kusa and Durbha, two types of grass, were also considered sacred from the Vedic times onwards.
Certain rivers were also considered sacred and were worshipped. Ganga was given the highest regard, which according to the Indian traditions sprang from the foot of the Vishnu, flowed over the sky in the form of the Milky Way (Mandakini) and then fell to earth from the matted locks (Jata) of Siva. Often Ganga was personified as a goddess and worshipped. The other rivers which were considered sacred included Yamuna, a tributary of Ganga, Saraswati. Narmada, the Godavari, the Krishna and Kaveri. Certain lakes like the Manasa near Mount Kailasa and Puskara Lake near Ajmer, were also considered sacred.
The practice of animal sacrifices which was popular during the Vedic period declined in the subsequent centuries and once again became popular only in the middle age, with certain devotees. These devotees killed the animals without any complicated ritual before the sacred icon and justified it by pointing that the soul of the victim went straight to heaven. However, by and large it was not approved by the People. The animal which was sacrificed included buffaloes, goats, sheep’s and cockerels. Human sacrifices were also practiced. We learn of girls being kidnapped to provide human sacrifices in secret rites.