Kula Devatha (or Kula Deivam) is a family deity or ancestral deity worshipped by a specific lineage or family over generations. In Hindu tradition, each family is believed to have a divine protector who blesses and safeguards the family members. This deity is typically chosen based on ancestral worship, regional beliefs, or divine experiences of forefathers.
Key Aspects of Kula Devatha Worship:
Family-Specific Worship – Unlike Ishta Devata (personal deity) or Grama Devata (village deity), Kula Devatha is specific to a family and is passed down through generations.
Annual Rituals & Festivals – Many families conduct special poojas or pilgrimages to the deity’s temple, often on specific days or festivals.
Protection & Blessings – The deity is believed to protect family members from misfortunes and bring prosperity.
Ancestor Connection – Worship is often linked to ancestral traditions, ensuring continuity in devotion.
Location-Based Temples – The Kula Devatha temple is often located in the native place of the family’s forefathers. In some traditions both the Kula Devi and Kula Deva are worshipped.
We believe that generations have been protected through the worship of Kula Devatha. As people relocate from native places by means of work, relationships and other influencing factors tend to lose touch with their respective Kula Devathas.
After generations, when day today living becomes harder, people tend to approach seers or astrologers seeking remedy or to ease the situation. Often the solution turns out to be to a visit back to Kula Devatha temple.
Like a mother never forgets the child and always waits for the child to come back so that she can serve her best, Kula Devatha is always waiting to bless her children, regardless of how many generations down the line. When the child never comes back to the mother, this divine flow of blessings seems to reduce gradually, slowly disappearing over decades and generations. All that is needed to rekindle the flow is to establish remembrance of the god / goddess within the family regularly.
Even though many of us know our Kula Devatha’s, second and third generations tend to forget who they are over a period of time. In order to potentially prevent them from facing other hardships in life which could be avoided, Sree Rama Dasa Ashram is making a humble initiative to create a Kula Devatha Complex of 1008 Kula Devathas.
These small structures contain representations from each family of their own Kula Devatha. It could be a symbolic representation – a coin, picture, pinch of soil from within the four walls of the temple, or a small statue from their own temple. It has to be collected by a family member with a prayer that “Since I and my immediate family members are not able to come here and worship every now and then, please come along with us and bless me and the generations down my lineage”.
These offerings will be tagged to your family and maintained in the Kula Devatha Temple at Houston, which shall be visited by the respective family with their children and grand children at least once a year. At that time, respective poojas will be done for those deity(ies) in the presence of the family for their protection. As children and grand children watch and follow these customs, they continue to maintain their channel of communication with the family deity, gathering protection and success in all their endeavors. A side effect is that lighting a ghee lamp in the temple complex will be as good as lighting 1008 ghee lamps in as many temples as they are all represented. Cost of reserving a spot is one time contribution of $1001. Temple will be live in Feb 2026. Registrations will be closed by September 2025 so that construction can be completed in time.
Further support opportunities for the temple includes a per brick donation of $101 or $501 per sqft of construction. Each brick used for the Hanuman temple will be with the inscription of RAM as per divine guidance.
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Click here for registration.
Current Registrations can be seen here. These registrations are updated after payment is verified.
There are various references and artifacts mentioning Kuladevatha temples as well as the importance of Kuladevatha worship. Please see those references here.
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- Your Kuladevata’s Importance – Sadhguru
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- Yellamma Devi – Story of a transformation after realizing Kuladevatha,
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- References from Sri Rajarshi Nandy on Kuladevatha, Part 2
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- AstroPrateek on Kuladevi
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- Anirudha Acharya’s opinions
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- Kuladevatha – first line of defense – Rajarshi Nandi
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- Astrovedic view on Kuladevatha
- Devaki Nandan Thakurji’s views on Kuladevatha