ABSTRACT
While The Last Airbender borrows most heavily from Buddhism than any other religion, it still borrows from others. One example of this is the ideas it takes from Hinduism: the very essence of the Avatar comes from the Hindu lore of an avatāra, as well as interpreting the Hindu deity Shiva through the Combustion Man character.
Avatara
This image portrays the Hindu avatāra and shows how he can take on many different forms.
In Hinduism, the word avatar means "to appear, to descend, to take birth, or to manifest" [1]; an avatar, or an avatāra, is a manifestation of a deity on Earth, whether this be in the form of a mortal man, an animal, or even a mythical creature. This reincarnation of a deity happens when the world is thrown off-balance and needs divine intervention for order to be restored.
We can certainly see how The Last Airbender draws upon the Hindu idea of the avatar. Firstly, and most obvious, the creators of the show uses the same word to describe the phenomenon. Moreover, the Avatar is the reincarnation of a past deity-like soul who is tasked with restoring peace and balance to the world. As stated in the M. Night Shyamalan cinematic version of The Last Airbender by Katara, "I knew you were real, I always knew you'd return" [2]. When the world is in turmoil because of the Fire Nation's attempts at dominion, Avatar Aang appears after being asleep for over a century to restore peace and stop Fire Lord Ozai. Aang has to use his powers, as well as the help from the spirit world and his past Avatar selves to defeat Ozai.
Although The Last Airbender is fictional, it is clear that the series borrows from Hindu lore: the avatara is a deity manifested on earth to restore balance and Aang is, for all intended purposes, a deity who was reborn and is tasked with restoring peace to the land.
Shiva
The villian "Combustion Man" showing his unique third-eye tattoo that allows him to shoot thin beams of destructive energy. As evidented by the above picture, his third eye is a replica of Shiva's destructive third eye.
In Hindu lore, Shiva is the god of destruction. Although this initially sounds more demonic than godly, all things inevitably have to end and Shiva is tasked with bringing that end, which opens up the path for new creation and life. It is said that when Shiva opens his third eye, everything is engulfed in flames.
In contrast, Combustion Man is a villian, never destroying to purify but rather because he simply an antagonist. Combustion Man is an assassin hired by Prince Zuko to kill Team Avatar using his powerful combustionbending powers. Although he is not a deity like Shiva, when Combustion Man uses his third eye, it engulfs everything in destructive flames.
This Youtube clip showcases the destructive might of Combustion Man's third eye.
While Combustion Man is a relatively minor character, only showing up in a handful of episodes and never portrayed as more than a stone-cold killer, I think it is interesting how the creators took the idea of Shiva from Hinduism and used it to create a powerful foe for Team Avatar to face. One cannot even begin to deny the reference, especially when considering Combustion Man's tattoo design matches almost perfectly with Shiva's third eye.
[1] V, Jayaram. "The Concept of Avatar or Incarnation in Hinduism." Hinduwebsite. Web.