Agni means fire. The word Agni is used in many contexts, ranging from fire in the stomach, the cooking fire in a home, the sacrificial fire in an altar, the fire of cremation, the fire of rebirth, the fire in the energetic saps concealed within plants, the atmospheric fire in lightning and the celestial fire in the sun.

Agni is represented in sculptures in two forms according as it is used as a weapon of war or employed for the purpose of making offerings. In the first case, agni is represented as weapon and this form of agni is commonly met with in the hands of Siva. Agni used for the purposes of religious offerings is can be seen along with Shruk.

In Hinduism, Agni is a prominent vedic god of fire.

Vedic rituals involve Agni. He is a part of many Hindu rites-of-passage ceremonies such as celebrating a birth (lighting a lamp), prayers (aarti lamp), at weddings (the yajna where the bride and groom circle the fire seven times) and at death (cremation).