Laksmi in Indian religious thought happens to be the spouse of lord Visnu, she is said to have emerged as one of the gems from the churning of the ocean, jointly undertaken by the demons and the gods. Immediately after her emerging from the ocean she accepted lord Visnu as her lord. She has been in worship since time immemorial as an individual goddess as well as in the company of her lord Visnu. She had been a popular goddess not only with Hindus, but also with the Buddhist and the Jainas, and his following had reached even the foreign lands.