''Devata'' (pl: ''devatas'', meaning 'the gods') ( Devanagari: देवता; Khmer: ទេវតា (''tevoda'');

Thai Thai or THAI may refer to: * Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia ** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand ** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand *** Thai script *** Thai (Unicode block ...

: เทวดา (''tevada''); Javanese, Balinese,

Sundanese Sundanese may refer to: * Sundanese people * Sundanese language * Sundanese script Standard Sundanese script (''Aksara Sunda Baku'', ) is a writing system which is used by the Sundanese people. It is built based on Old Sundanese script (' ...

Malay Malay may refer to: Languages * Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore ** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century ** Indonesi ...

: ''dewata''; Batak languages: ''debata'' (Toba), ''dibata'' (Karo), ''naibata'' (Simalungun); '' diwata'' ( Philippine languages)) are smaller and more focused Devas (Deities) in

Indian religions Indian religions, sometimes also termed Dharmic religions or Indic religions, are the religions that originated in the Indian subcontinent. These religions, which include Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism,Adams, C. J."Classification of ...

, such as Hinduism and Buddhism. The term "devata" itself can also mean deva. They can be either male or female. Every human activity has its devata, its spiritual counterpart or aspect.

Types

Apsara Relief Sculpture on Angkor Wat Temple Wall Feb 10 2000

There are many kinds of devatas: vanadevatas (forest spirits, perhaps descendants of early nature-spirit cults), gramadevata (village gods), devatas of river crossings, caves, mountains, and so on. For example, in the Konkan region of India, Hindu devatas are often divided into five categories: # Grama devatas or village deities who could be the founder deity such as Jathera or ancestral worship of Bali, and examples include Santoshi, Renuka, Aiyanar # Sthana devatas or local deities, for example, those in certain places of pilgrimage like Rama in

Nasik Nashik (, Marathi: aːʃik, also called as Nasik ) is a city in the northern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Situated on the banks of river Godavari, Nashik is the third largest city in Maharashtra, after Mumbai and Pune. Nashik ...

, Vithoba in Pandharpur, Krishna at Dwarka, Kali at Kolkata, Mahalakshmi at Kolhapur, Devi Kanya Kumari at Kanyakumari # Kula devatas or family deities, like Khanderai and Muniandi # Ishta devatas or chosen deities # Vastu devatas or Gruha devatas, a class of deities that preside over the house. Following are some of the important types of Devatas in

Sri Lankan Buddhism Theravada Buddhism is the largest and official religion of Sri Lanka, practiced by 70.2% of the population as of 2012. Practitioners of Sri Lankan Buddhism can be found amongst the majority Sinhalese people, Sinhalese population as well as am ...

: * Bandara Devathavo are devatas of trees, mountains, etc. * Gambara Devathavo are devatas of the villages * Graha Devathavo are devatas of planets

Scriptures

Some well-known Hindu-Buddhist heavenly beings belong to the group of devatas, such as

apsara An apsaras or apsara ( sa, अप्सरा ' lso ' pi, अक्चरा, translit=accharā) is a type of female spirit of the clouds and waters in Hinduism and Buddhist culture. They figure prominently in the sculpture, dance, literat ...

s or vidhyadaris (female cloud and water spirits) and their male counterparts, the gandharvas (heavenly musicians). Devatas often occur in many Buddhist Jatakas, Hindu epics such as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata and in many other Buddhist holy scriptures. The island of

Bali Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nu ...

is nicknamed ''Pulau Dewata'' (

Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...

: "islands of devata or island of gods") because of its vivid

Hindu culture Hinduism () is an Indian religions, Indian religion or ''dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the Major religious groups, world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion ...

and traditions. In Indonesia, the term

hyang ''Hyang'' ( Kawi, Sundanese, Javanese, and Balinese) is a representation of the Supreme Being, in ancient Java and Bali mythology. This spiritual entity can be either divine or ancestral. The reverence for this spiritual entity can be found ...

is equivalent to devata. In Hinduism, the devatas that guard the eight, nine and ten cardinal points are called Lokapala ( Guardians of the Directions) or, more specifically in ancient Java tradition, ''Dewata Nawa Sanga'' ( Guardians of Nine Directions).

References

Palani, Sivasiva. "New Angles On Angels." ''Hinduism Today'', Sep 1992. Accessed 11 May 2006. Krishna, Nanditha. "Grounded in wisdom." ''Newindpress on Sunday'', April 26, 2003. Accessed 11 May 2006.
* Chopra, Deepak: ''Life after Death, The Burden of Proof'', Chapter 11 "Guides and Messengers" Three Rivers Press, 2008.

External links

Devata.org - Research on Khmer Women in Divine Context

Photos and Articles about Devata temples in Cambodia, Thailand & Laos
{{HinduMythology Hindu deities Tutelary deities

Types

Scriptures

See also

References

External links