The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism (2 Vol Set)

(vip2019) #1

(Pancha Dravida). The core region for
the Deshastha brahmins is in the
Deccanregion in Maharashtra, whereas
the other major subcommunity, the
Chitpavanor Konkanastha, is found on
the coast.


Deshnok


Small village in the Bikaner district in
the state of Rajasthan, roughly twenty
miles south of the city of Bikaner.
Deshnok is famous for the temple to the
goddess Karni Mata, in which thou-
sands of ratshave been given sacred sta-
tus and are treated as deities, in the
belief that they are Karni Mata’s sons.


Deul


(probably a form of deva, “deity”) In
the temple architectureof the state of
Orissa, this is the name for the bee-
hive-shaped tower under which the
image of the temple’s primary deity
resides. Unlike the architecture in
other parts of northern India, in which
a series of towers (shikharas) gradually
led up to the tallest tower, Orissan tem-
ples tend to have a fairly long and low
entrance porch (jagamohans) and an
extremely high deul, with this differ-
ence in visual forms accentuating the
contrast between the two.


Deva


The word deva literally means “shining
one,” although the most common (and
often most appropriate) translation is
“god.” This word is an epithet for any
superhuman being, although it can also
be used figuratively for any person of
high status, such as a king or a brahmin
(priest). The notion of “gods” in
Hinduism must be understood in
light of the generally assumed context
of reincarnation (samsara), which
assumes that a person can be reborn in
many different realms of reality. Some of
these are realms of punishment where
people atone for the effects of their bad
karma, while others are realms of plea-
sure (the heavens) where people enjoy


the results of their good karma. The
devas are the inhabitants of these heav-
ens, and are thus “gods,” since gods, by
definition, live in heaven.
Yet all these gods are still subject to
the vicissitudes of reincarnation—even
Indra, the ruler of heaven. Birth in
heaven is based on one’s good karma,
which is inevitably diminished by enjoy-
ing the rewards of life in heaven, just as
a savings account is depleted by contin-
uing withdrawals. When their good
karma has been exhausted, even the
gods are subject to rebirth in other
realms. So even though these gods are
superhuman, they are still subject to the
law of reincarnation. There is thus a
qualitative difference between these
gods (the devas) and the so-called Great
gods, such as Vishnu, Shiva, and the
Goddess. These latter deitiesare seen by
their devotees (bhakta) as totally out-
side the realm of space, time, and the
causes and effects of karma, and thus
correspond more directly to the Judeo-
Christian notion of “God,” as the ulti-
mate power in the universe.

Devadasi


(“[female] servant of the lord”) Name for
a class of womenkept in temples as
singers and dancers in the service of the
temple’s presiding deity, to whom they
were usually considered to be “married.”
Their special status prevented them
from marrying human husbands,
although in many cases they would form
long-term liaisons with prominent local
men. Any daughtersborn from such
liaisons would in turn be dedicated to
the temple, while sonswould be trained
as musicians. In many cases, devadasis
had unusual legal rights, such as the
ability to own, manage, and transfer
property, which for most women were
vested only in their husbands. At best,
these devadasis were literate and cul-
tured women, whose talents brought
them considerable status, while at worst
(as was often the case in the nineteenth
century) they were prostitutes whose
services enriched the temple. The latter

Devadasi
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