Gram devta

Published in Corporate Dossier, ET on 30 April 2010. Most villages in India has a Grama-devata, a rather ferocious looking deity, that is the local guardian god, often shown riding a horse, brandishing a sword, accompanied by a dog. Most villages also have a Grama-devi, a goddess, usually taking the form of a rock with large silver eyes; she is the fertility goddess. Together they are the divine embodiment of the village protecting and providing for the village. Ask a village who is the Grama-devata or the Grama-devi, and they will give a local name and tell a local legend. But then they will identify ..