Sri Lakshmi, Goddess of Prosperity and Good Fortune: Hindu. 

    Depicted holding or seated upon the lotus, symbol of spiritual purity, fertility and vegetative growth, the goddess Sri Laxmi is venerated, like Ganesh, for her auspicious nature. She carries a coffer, and gold coins shower from her hand.  She represents the supreme divine principle which pervades all creation with vitality and consciousness. Actively venerated by nearly 1 billion Hindus, Laxshmi is the modern face of the ancient Great Mother Goddess; stalks of grain surrounding her head connote a rich harvest.
    Lakshmi, or Sri, is the Hindu Goddess of love and beauty and the Indian equivalent of Aphrodite, for she was born on a lotus from the churning of the milky sea when her consort Vishnu manifested as a tortoise avatar. She has strong associations with the fall festival of Divali.
    Here she is shown offering boons and blessings and holding the lotus flowers.
     This Goddess of wealth, happiness and beauty emerged from the ocean of milk when the Gods churned the sea in order to produce divine nectar. She is pictured as a slim-waisted, full breasted feminine beauty. When she is depicted separately from her consort Vishnu, she has four hands. In two of them she holds lotus flowers, while the other two bestow the gifts of well-being and prosperity.
     When she is depicted with Vishnu, Lakshmi has only two hands. She sits or stands on the lotus flower, and sometimes has elephants on either side. The new moon night of November is dedicated to her annual ceremony.
     Lakshmi is said to reside in sweet-smelling floral garlands which bring fortune and wealth to the wearer. She also has a role as a fertility goddess and is particularly linked to the richness of the soil.