Gramadevata

A gramadevata (Sanskrit: ग्रामदेवता, romanized: Grāmadevatā, lit. 'village deity') is the tutelary deity of a given locality in Hinduism,^[1] primarily worshipped in the villages of India.^[2]^[3]

Of diverse origins, gramadevatas are regarded to protect the inhabitants of their villages from bandits, epidemics, and natural disasters when propitiated, failing which they are believed to cause these afflictions.^[4]^[5] A gramadevata is typically female in South India.^[6] In this region, a village goddess, acting as a fertility figure, is enshrined, and a guardian of the village is situated at the village boundary.^[7]

^ Iyengar, T. R. R. (2004). Hindu Mythology. Intellectual Book Corner. p. 385. ISBN 978-81-7076-104-4.
^ Chandra, Suresh (1998). Encyclopaedia of Hindu Gods and Goddesses. Sarup & Sons. p. 111. ISBN 978-81-7625-039-9.
^ Becchio, Bruno; Schadé, Johannes P. (2006). Encyclopedia of World Religions. Foreign Media Group. p. 112. ISBN 978-1-60136-000-7.
^ Leviton, Richard (14 October 2005). Encyclopedia of Earth Myths: An Insider's A-Z Guide to Mythic People, Places, Objects, and Events Central to the Earth's Visionary Geography. Hampton Roads Publishing. p. 555. ISBN 978-1-61283-298-2.
^ Atran, Scott (9 December 2004). In Gods We Trust: The Evolutionary Landscape of Religion. Oxford University Press. p. 125. ISBN 978-0-19-803405-6.
^ Oppy, Graham (17 April 2015). The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Philosophy of Religion. Routledge. p. 128. ISBN 978-1-317-51592-0.
^ Flueckiger, Joyce Burkhalter (23 February 2015). Everyday Hinduism. John Wiley & Sons. p. 30. ISBN 978-1-118-52818-1.

[1] Iyengar, T. R. R. (2004). Hindu Mythology. Intellectual Book Corner. p. 385. ISBN 978-81-7076-104-4.

[2] Chandra, Suresh (1998). Encyclopaedia of Hindu Gods and Goddesses. Sarup & Sons. p. 111. ISBN 978-81-7625-039-9.

[3] Becchio, Bruno; Schadé, Johannes P. (2006). Encyclopedia of World Religions. Foreign Media Group. p. 112. ISBN 978-1-60136-000-7.

[4] Leviton, Richard (14 October 2005). Encyclopedia of Earth Myths: An Insider's A-Z Guide to Mythic People, Places, Objects, and Events Central to the Earth's Visionary Geography. Hampton Roads Publishing. p. 555. ISBN 978-1-61283-298-2.

[5] Atran, Scott (9 December 2004). In Gods We Trust: The Evolutionary Landscape of Religion. Oxford University Press. p. 125. ISBN 978-0-19-803405-6.

[6] Oppy, Graham (17 April 2015). The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Philosophy of Religion. Routledge. p. 128. ISBN 978-1-317-51592-0.

[7] Flueckiger, Joyce Burkhalter (23 February 2015). Everyday Hinduism. John Wiley & Sons. p. 30. ISBN 978-1-118-52818-1.

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