Kuladevata
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A kuladevata (Sanskrit: कुलदेवता, romanized: Kuladevatā, lit. 'clan deity'),[1] also known as a kuladaivaṃ (Malayalam: കുലദൈവം, Telugu: కులదైవం),[2] is an ancestral tutelary deity in Hinduism and Jainism.[1]
Such a deity is often the object of one's devotion (bhakti), and is coaxed to watch over one's clan (kula), gotra, family, and children from misfortune. This is distinct from an ishta-devata (personal tutelar) and a grāmadevatā (village deities).[3]
A male deity is called a kuladeva and female deity kuladevi (sometimes spelled kuldev and kuldevi respectively).[4]
Etymology
[edit]The word kuladevata is derived from two words: kula, meaning clan, and devata, meaning deity, referring to the ancestral deities that are worshipped by particular clans.[5]
Veneration
[edit]Kuladaivams of the Shaiva tradition are often considered to be forms of Shiva and Parvati, while those of the Vaishnava tradition are often regarded to be forms of Vishnu and Lakshmi.[6]
Due to the veneration of holy men (babas) in several regions of the subcontinent, several communities consider such men to be their kuladevatas in the place of a deity.[7]
In western India, some communities regard local monarchs who belonged to their clan to be their kuladevata.[8]
Examples
[edit] | This section needs more citations. (November 2026) |
The following is a non-exhaustive list of the various kuladevatas revered in different regions of the Indian subcontinent:
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Kuladevata, Kuladevatā, Kula-devata: 9 definitions". Wisdomlib.org. 2017-10-17. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
- ↑ "Kuladeivam & Its Significance - The Verandah Club". theverandahclub.com. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
- ↑ Cush, Denise; Robinson, Catherine; York, Michael (2012-08-21). Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Routledge. p. 437. ISBN 978-1-135-18978-5.
- ↑ "Kuladeva, Kula-deva: 7 definitions". Wisdomlib.org. 2017-10-17. Retrieved 2022-10-01.
- ↑ Saravanan, V. Hari (2014). Gods, Heroes and their Story Tellers: Intangible cultural heritage of South India. Notion Press. p. 14. ISBN 978-93-84391-49-2.
- ↑ "Shiva and Shaivism - Origin, Beliefs, Practices, History & mentions in Vedas". TemplePurohit - Your Spiritual Destination | Bhakti, Shraddha Aur Ashirwad. 2022-05-19. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
- ↑ Kurien, Prema (2007-06-19). A Place at the Multicultural Table: The Development of an American Hinduism. Rutgers University Press. p. 36. ISBN 978-0-8135-4161-7.
- ↑ Lachaier, Pierre (1999-01-01). Firmes et entreprises en Inde: la firme lignagère dans ses réseaux (in French). KARTHALA Editions. p. 70. ISBN 978-2-86537-927-9.
- ↑ Gupta, Ashwini (2024-08-24). चमत्कारों से भरी है सिद्ध गोरिया की कहानी [The story of Siddh Goriya is full of miracles]. Sufi Post (in Hindi). Retrieved 2026-11-10.
- ↑ Atmashraddhananda, Swami (2022-02-01). A Pilgrimage To Western Ghats Temples In Karnataka. Sri Ramakrishna Math. p. 15.
- ↑ Pilgrimage to Temple Heritage 2017. Info Kerala Communications Pvt Ltd. 2017-09-01. p. 197. ISBN 978-81-934567-0-5 – via Google Books.
- ↑ Singh, K. S. (1992). People of India: pt.1-3 Kerala. Anthropological Survey of India. p. 1427. ISBN 978-81-85938-99-8 – via Google Books.
- 1 2 Berntsen, Maxine (1 January 1988). The Experience of Hinduism: Essays on Religion in Maharashtra. SUNY Press. pp. 174–175. ISBN 978-0-88706-662-7 – via Google Books.
- ↑ Siraj-ul-Hassan, Syed (1920). The Castes and Tribes of HEH the Nizam's Dominions. Vol. 1. Bombay: The Times Press. pp. 49, 46, 88, 97, 109, 118, 183, 234, 280, 622, 616, 556, 595, 407, 304, 370, 338 – via Internet Archive.
- ↑ Parāñjape, Tārābāī (1985). Sīmā pradeśātīla bhāvagaṅgā (in Marathi). Marāṭhī Sāhitya Parishada, Āndhra Pradeśa – via Google Books.
- ↑ Punekar, Vinaja B. (1959). The Son Kolis of Bombay. New Delhi, India: Popular Book Depot. pp. 160: The deity was the goddess worshipped by Ekveera, who is also mentioned in the Devi Bhāgavata (Skandha 6, Adhyāya 17 : 23 ). Jejuri is the seat of Khandobā. The seat of Ekveerā is popularly known as “ Āy Jāge ' (place of the mother) – via Google Books.
- ↑ Chindhade, Shirish (1996). Five Indian English Poets: Nissim Ezekiel, A.K. Ramanujan, Arun Kolatkar, Dilip Chitre, R. Parthasarathy. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. p. 107. ISBN 978-81-7156-585-6 – via Google Books.
- ↑ Glushkova, Irina (2006). "Moving God (s)ward, calculating money: Wonders and wealth as essentials of a tīrtha-yātrā". South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies. 29 (2): 215–234. doi:10.1080/00856400600865825. eISSN 1479-0270. ISSN 0085-6401.
- ↑ Gupta, Rupa Raje (2024-10-01) [2007]. The Wada of Maharashta, an Indian Courtyard House Form (PhD thesis). Cardiff University. ISBN 9781303182167.
- 1 2 "Kuldevi List & Gotra List of Oswal Samaj - Agam Nigam - A Jain Hub". Agamnigam.com. 2017-03-14. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
- ↑ "श्री बड़माताजी मंदिर संस्थान". Shribadmatajisansthan.org. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
External links
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