Is the sacred vehicle of lord shri Vishnu. Garuda is the main enemy of the nagas (serpents). Being the son of sage kashyapa and Vinita, he is also known as vainartaya. This ancient deity was said to be massive, large enough to block out the sun.

His stature in the Hindu religion can be gauged by the fact that an independent Upanishad, the garudopanishad, and a purana, is devoted to him. Various names have been attributed to garuda – chirada, gaganeshwara, kamayusha, kashyapi, khageshwara, nagantaka, sitanana, sudhahara, suparna, tarkshya, vainateya, vishnuratha.