Kuladevata

A kuladevata (Sanskrit: कुलदेवता, romanized: Kuladevatā, lit. 'clan deity'), also known as a kuladaivaṃ (Tamil: குலதெய்வம்), is an ancestral tutelary deity in Hinduism and Jainism.

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).

A male deity is called a kuladeva and female deity kuladevi (sometimes spelled kuldev and kuldevi respectively).

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