A great many Hindus regularly worship so-called kul deities who may be either goddesses (kuladevīs) or gods (kuladevatās, kuldevas). In many parts of the Indian subcontinent, however, female kul deities are predominant.

A kul deity is the goddess or god of the kinship unit, termed kula or kul, to which an individual Hindu belongs either by birth or by marriage. Depending on region, caste, and local usage, kul may refer to various lev…