The ruling deities of the Bhadrapads are respectively Ajaikapada and Ahirbudhnya. Both deities are considered two of the eleven Rudras and are associated with the serpent. They are believed to have been born from the anger of Lord Brahma and are responsible for the end of creation.
Several Puranas provide alternate names for these deities. All eleven forms of Rudra are described in the Vedas and Upanishads. They are benevolent in their pleasing forms but highly destructive when agitated.
Ajaikapada, depicted with one leg of a goat and the other of a human, was later understood as Ajaikapada, an aspect of Lord Shiva.
Ahirbudhnya, another form among the eleven Rudras, bears the serpent Ahir on his Braghna, or matted hair, and is named accordingly. Budhnya, meaning sharp-minded and resembling Lord Shiva, is another name associated with Ahirbraghna. He is described as a professor of Shilpa Shastra and the principal deity of architecture.