The Worship of Family Deities in Hinduism

Banswara is a district in the Vagad region of Southern Rajasthan, surrounded by a lush green landscape, and the Aravalis adorn the place. It is known for its religious tourism. Its glorious history tells us that a tribal Bheel named Bansia ruled over it; history also tells us that Maharana Pratap Singh had the immense support of Bheels in fighting wars. Bheels were called the “Sons of forests”, as they lived in the bamboo forests (“baans” in Hindi), hence the town derives its name as Banswara.  

I have always visited temples as a tourist but the year 2010 taught me something which I still find very fascinating. On the Banswara- Dungarpur road is situated an ancient temple of Devi Tripura Sundari. It is believed that this temple must have been in existence even before the period of Kanishka. This temple has been renovated time and again by my community i.e Panchal Community. That year I was on a travel spree with my parents and grandparents visiting various places in Gujarat and Rajasthan. As soon as we reached the temple and parked our car, I could see the twinkle in my grandma’s eyes. She felt so happy and blissful. She has always been very religious and a great spiritual guide. She smiled and told me “This is Tripura Sundari Mandir”. Little did I know that Devi Tripura Sundari is our Kuldevi. At that moment, she introduced me to the concept and tradition of family deities and she kept on narrating to me the significance and purpose of these important elements in everyone’s life. Here is a short summary of what I learnt from my granny. 

We need to understand that Hinduism has a deep understanding of genetics. Would you believe if I say that our culture inherently has a mechanism to maintain a genetic track record spanning around 10000 years? Well, the answer is YES..!! The concept of Kuldevta/ Ishtdevta / Gramdevta has its origin in Vedic times. Kuldevta is the protector of the clan; the deity which has been worshipped by our ancestors for thousands of generations. We need to know that every Hindu family is a descendant of a rishi/sage and these deities were worshipped by them with utmost reverence as the place of Kuldev has always been high in the Hindu worship system. This was a mechanism to create an outwardly spiritual power for the protection of the clans so that it could progress without any hindrance in the karma path and its history could be preserved.

The people have always been proud of their Kulas and gave away their lives for the pride of their Kulas. For eg., Lord Rama belonged to Raghukul. Raghukuls were known for their commitment and readiness to give their lives to keep up the commitment.

If we talk about it scientifically, these temples were the energy centers that were alive and created a force. This force or energy could travel down the genetic track and would help all the people of the clan having the same DNA. So we need to understand that an energy source was established for that particular DNA. Hence, worshipping the Kuladev becomes an integral part of any family’s journey. Not everyone needs to go to worship. Even if one person from the family worships, it will benefit all the people having the same DNA. This sounds so scientific...!! Even medical science is heading in this direction. 

But sadly, people now are not aware of their family deities. This tradition has been interrupted many a time in the last 1800 years due to foreign invasions, rampant conversions, and large-scale migration. Families got fragmented and gradually forgot about their Kuladev. 

It is important to understand that our ancestors were so divine and we also have that divinity hidden in us. We just need to make ourselves instrumental with the energies around us by collaborating with the people of our clan, participating in deity temple celebrations, worshipping our Kuladev, and experiencing once again the awareness and divinity within us. 

That one moment of my life when I discovered about my existence, my gotra, nakshatra, and Kuladevi changed my life forever. I understood the science behind Hindu rituals like Pitr dosh, the true meaning of spirituality, and self-realization. Isn't this a beautiful way to understand life? Forever indebted to my Daadi for this kind of knowledge awareness of unsung facts of our tradition and culture. There is always a fear in me, I may be at a loss if I am not following these traditions passed on to me by my elders. 

It's been 10 years now I have been worshipping my Kuladevi. I believe it has always protected me and showed me the correct path bestowing in me all the happiness of life.

This article was published in the March issue of Sanatan Tattva magazine. 

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