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