Deva is the Hindu term for deity; devatas are a kind of smaller more focused deva, the equivalent of guardian spirits or guardian angels. They are generally thought of as female. There are many kinds of devatas: vanadevatas (forest spirits, perhaps descendants of early nature-spirit cults), gramadevata (village gods), devata of river crossings, caves, mountains, and so on. Each caste has its guardian deva, and every human activity has its devata, its spiritual counterpart or aspect. Deva (देव in Devanagari script, pronounced as dévə) is the Sanskrit word for god, deity. It can be variously interpreted as a spirit, demi-god, celestial being, angel, deity or any supernatural being of high excellence. ... {{Hinduism small} Hinduism (Sanskrit/Devanagari: , , also known as , ) is a religion that originated on the Indian subcontinent. ... This article or section needs to be wikified. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

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.

See also

• Hinduism