Kuladevata
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Kula-dèvatā (transl. clan-deity),[1] also known as Kuladeva or Kuladevi, is an ancestral tutelary deity in Hinduism, who is often the object of one's devotion (bhakti) in order to coax the deity to watch over one's clan (kula), family and children from misfortune. This is distinct from ishta-devata (personal tutelar) and village deities.
In practice[edit]
The word Kuladevata is derived from two words: Kula, meaning clan and Devata, meaning deity, and refers to deities that are worshiped by particular clans. The deity can be a male, female, animal or even an object, like a holy stone, and it is believed that rituals done at the Kuladevata/Kuladevi temple benefit all those genetically connected with the one performing the ritual. Hindu families make a pilgrimage to the Kuladevata or Kuladevi temple to obtain the blessing of the deity after an auspicious occasion such as a wedding. Kuladevatas are worshiped in several sects of Hinduism and Jainism. In the state of Maharashtra, the Kuladevatas are mainly manifestations of Shiva or Shakti such as Khandoba or Bhavani, respectively. In the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan these deities are generally the various manifestations of Parvati, the wife of Shiva, and are worshiped by different names by different clans. The Indian King Cobra (Nag) is also a famous Kuladevata. It is known by several names, such as, Nagadevata and Nagabaapji and is worshiped by several Hindu, Jain and Kshatriya clans. Some Kshatriya clans also claim themselves to be "Nagavanshi" or Descendants of the Naga.
In Southern India, Balaji of Tirupati is one of the main Kuladevatas.
In Kerala,the namboodiris, ezhavas and nairs all have their own own family deities for their families. These are believed to be the Gods who have been protecting their families from ancestors' times. For the brahmins, kuladevatas were the ones who their forefathers did upasanas on. Upasana( life long dedicated worship). For Ezhavas and Nairs, it's not a completely dedicated upasana like that of namboodiris brahmins, but they worship their kuladevatas for their entire life. They construct temple for the kuladevatas in their premises and carry out pujas through hired brahmins to do puja called pujaris.
In Andhra Pradesh, Goddess Vasavi Kanyakaparameshwari is the Kuladevi for the Arya Vysya community.
In Tamil Nadu, Goddess Kamakshi, Goddess Renukamba and Lord Murugan are family deities among many others, for many Brahmin Iyers and also to Maravar And Vellalars. Goddess Bhadrakali is the tutelary deity of Nadars. Majority of the Nadar Settlements will have a temple for Goddess Bhadrakali. Goddess Angalaparameshwari for majority of chettiars and vellalars. Lord Narashima for Brahmin Iyengars and also to Naidu. Worship of Kuladevta is very much prominent amongst the Brahmins and Kshatriyas of Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra, that are the Konkani Saraswats, Daivajnas and Konkani Kharvis. Most of the Kuladevata temples are found in Goa, Shantadurga, Mahalakshmi, Nagesh, Mangesh, Ramnath to name a few. Kuladevatas play a very pious role in the Saraswat Brahmins, Daivajna Brahmins and Konkani Kharvis, it can even supplant the role of the Istadevata.
Bengal[edit]
- Kali
- Durga
- Shiva
- Parvati
- Jagadhatri
- Narayana
- Krishna
- Gandheshwari
- Damodar
- Shridhar
- Raghuvir
- Lakshmi-Narayan/Lakshmi-Janardan
- Raghunathji
- Gopinathji/Madhusudana/Madanmohana
- Radha-Govinda/Radhan Krishna/Radha-Madhava
- Shitala
- Hara-Parvati/Hara-Gauri
- Mahalakshmi
- Baal Gopal
- Chandi
- Chaitanya mahaprabhu
- Mansa
Maharashtra[edit]
Kuladevata worshipped in Maharashtra include:
- Ambabai-Mahalakshmi of Kolhapur[2]
- Mahalakshmi of Dahanu, Palghar
- Tulja Bhavani of Tuljapur[3][2]
- Charbhuja Dist. Rajsamand
- Ekvira of Karla Caves
- Jyotiba
- Jaganmata/Parvati/Durga of Toppo, Baghwar and Kachhapa (West Orissa Origin) Community
- Khandoba of Jejuri[4]
- Jyotiba of Kolhapur[5]
- Khandoba of Pal
- Kedar Janani of Tise, near Kolad, Maharashtra
- Laxmi-Narasimha
- Mahadeva of Toppo and Baghwar Community
- Mandhradevi of Wai
- Renuka of [2]
- Vasavi Matha of Penugonda Kshetram
- Mothi Devi of Khamgaon Buldhana, Vidarbha
- Shree Vyadeshwar of Guhagar
- Yamai of Aundh[6]
- Yogeshwari of Ambejogai
- Manudevi of Adgaon
- Shakatambika of Gautam Gotra
- Shri-Laxmi-Pallinaath of Ratnagiri Pali
Konkan[edit]
Konkani people worship following deities as their Kuladevatas/Kuldevi, most of the temples are located in Goa. Some of the deities were shifted to other places in Konkan by the devotees during the Goa Inquisition.[7] Some of them are listed below:
- Aryadurga
- Bhagavati
- Chamundeshwari
- Damodar
- Devaki Krishna
- Gajantalakshmi
- Ekvira Aai
- Jaganmata (Maa Durga's avatar)
- Kamakshi
- Mallikarjuna[8]
- Maha Ganapathi Mahammaya
- Mahalakshmi
- Mahalasa
- Mahamaya
- Mahamaya Kalika
- Mangeshi
- Nageshi
- Kali
- Waghjai
- Laxmi-Narasimha
- Navadurga
- Ramnath
- Ravalnath
- Santeri
- Saptakoteshwar
- Shantadurga
- Sharwani Vetal
- Vijayadurga
- Vimleshwar
- Vetal
- Rameshwar
- Mauli (Lord Vithala)
- Venkatraman
Gujarat and Rajasthan[edit]
Kuladevata worshipped in Gujarat and Rajasthan include:[9]
- Arasuri Ambaji also known as Arbuda Mata
- Semoj Mata- Khatana Rabari
- Momai Mata- kuldevi of subclans of Rajgor brahmins, rajputs, kshatriya and merchant communities.
- Kunjal Mata - Kuldevi of Pareeks
- Ashapura Mata - Jadeja Kuldevi
- Baba Mohan Rama
- Baba Ramdevji
- Suswani Mata- Kuldevi of Dugar,Surana and Sankhala Gotras
- Susmad Mata - Kuldevi of Kabra. Temple in Kuchera (कुचेरा) - a village in Mundwa tahsil in Nagaur district of Rajasthan.
- Bhadrakali - Hanumangarh
- Bhavar Mata - Chhoti Sadri
- Bhatiji Maharaj
- Bigga Ji -
- Brahmani Mata
- Chamunda Mata
- Chorwadi Zund Bhavani Mata Virji Vora, Kikani
- Dada Jasraj - by Saraswat Brahim Lohana, Bhanushali and others
- Daryalal - by Lohana Sindhi
- Dev Narain - Gurjar
- Gajanan mata - khangar
- Gogaji - Chauhan
- Gusainji
- Harkor - Kuldevi of Lohana and Bhanushali
- Harsidhhi Mata
- Hinglaj Mata
- Jaukhar Mata, Pali district
- Jeen Mata
- Kalsariya Dada - Kalsar, Gujarat
- Khodiyar Mata leva Patel, Bharwad, Rabari
- Keway Mata in KINSARIYA MARWAD,old name was (SINHADIYA)in Parbatsar Pargana of Nagour district kuldevi of Dahiya Rajputs and aradhya devi of Medtiya's of Kinsariya.
- Charbhuja nath kuldevta of Medtiya Rathore's of Marwad temple was located in Medta Estate.
blessing is [JAI CHARBHUJA KI]
- Maha Kali Mata
- Mahalakshmi Mata - Shrimali Brahmin, Vanik, Soni
- Mansa Devi - Churu
- Modheswari - Modh
- Nagnechiya Maa – kuldevi of Rathore's of Marwad (Jodha,Medtiya,Bika,udawat,sindhal,Mahecha etc)
- Pabuji Lokdevta of Rajputs in Rajasthan
- Rana Jashraj - Kuldevata of Lohana and Bhanushali
Randhal Maa- kuldevi of HAPANI's and many others
- Sakrai Mata - In Sikar, Rajasthan
- Shakti Mata - Zala Kuldevi, Makwana - in Patdi - Dhama, Gujarat
- Siriyal Mata - Savla Kuldevi, Bhisra - in Kutch, Gujarat
- Sachiya Mata
- Bapu Bhalara Bapa -Kuldev of Palan family Lohana, Panchavda, Dist. Rajkot, Gujarat
- Renuka mata(mother of god Parshuram) - kuldevi of mourya(Rajput-nimad-MP)now in someplaces of Gujarat
- Satsariya Bapa of Dhasa (Nag-dev)
- Tanot Mata
- Tulja Bhawani
- Umiya Mata kadava patel, Brahman
- Vachra Dada - Solanki and others.
- Veer Teja - In Kharnal in Nagaur district in Rajasthan
- Vindhya-Vasini Mata
- Shree Sindhvi Sikoter Mataji At Jamnagar "Gujrati Lohana Kataria Pariwar" Kuldevi
- Shree MastRam Baba Ji At Khansurjapur Bharatpur khainwar pariwar
- Shakatambika of Gautam Gotra
Tamil Nadu[edit]
- Sree Sastha
- Kurathiamman
- Angalamman
- Bhadrakali
- Kallazhagar
- Thillai Kali
- Karuppu Sami
- Lord Pavadairayan
- Renukamba at Padaiveedu
- Pachchaiamman
- Peradachiyamman
- Periyandichiyamman
- Madurai Veeran
- Muneeswaran
- Ayyanar
- Murugan
- Periandavar
- Sudalaimadan
- Nondi Veeran
Citations[edit]
- ^ "What does कुल (Kula) mean in Hindi?".
- ^ a b c Maxine Berntsen (1 January 1988). The Experience of Hinduism: Essays on Religion in Maharashtra. SUNY Press. pp. 174–175. ISBN 978-0-88706-662-7.
- ^ ul Hassan, S. S. (1920). The Castes and Tribes of HEH the Nizam's Dominions (Vol. 1). Asian educational services. pp. 49, 46, 88, 97, 109, 118, 183, 234, 280, 622, 616, 556, 595, 407, 304, 370, 338.
- ^ Shirish Chindhade (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.
- ^ Glushkova, I., 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), pp.215-234.
- ^ Gupta, R.R., 2007. Wada of Maharashta, an Indian courtyard house form. Cardiff University (United Kingdom).
- ^ Pra. Pā Śiroḍakara; H. K. Mandal; Anthropological Survey of India (1993). People of India: Goa Volume 21 of People of India, Kumar Suresh Singh Volume 21 of State Series, Kumar Suresh Singh. Anthropological Survey of India. pp. 283 pages. ISBN 9788171547609.
- ^ Mallikarjuna Temple, Goa
- ^ "Kuldevi List & Gotra List of Oswal Samaj - Agam Nigam - A Jain Hub". 2017-03-14. Retrieved 2018-06-25.