Nilesh
Nilesh is an Indian name based on one of two deities, Vishnu or Shiva, in Hinduism, depending on which of its two Hindi pronunciations are used. 'Nilesh' means 'the Blue God', and is one of the alternate names for Vishnu, "The Preserver." Later, the name was also used to refer to Shiva, "The Destroyer of Evil", "The King." The name is a combination of two words: Neel and Ish. Ish or Esh is also a Sanskrit word for head. Hence, the name can also be interpreted as 'Blue Head,' which refers to Lord Vishnu or Shiva.
Nilesh also refers to a third deity: Krishna. Krishna is also referred to as the Blue God because of the darker skin which is always displayed in pictures and statues in the colour blue.
Notable persons with this name include:
- Nilesh Cabral, Indian politician
- Nilesh Chaudhary, Indian cricketer
- Nilesh Girkar, Indian scriptwriter
- Nilesh Gupta, Indian businessman, managing director of Lupin Limited
- Nilesh Kulkarni, Indian cricketer
- Nilesh Limaye, Indian chef
- Nilesh Moharir, Indian music director
- Nilesh Narayan Rane, Indian politician
- Nilesh Parmar, Omani cricketer
- Nilesh Prabhudesai, Indian politician
- Nilesh Sable, Indian television show host and actor
- Nilesh Sahay, Indian actor
- Nilesh Samani, British medical doctor