Kuladevata
A kuladevata (Sanskrit: कुलदेवता, romanized: Kuladevatā, lit. 'clan deity'), also known as a kuladaivaṃ (Malayalam: കുലദൈവം, Telugu: కులదైవంcode: tel promoted to code: te ), is an ancestral tutelary deity in Hinduism and Jainism. Such a deity is often the object of one's devotion (bhakti), and is coaxed to watch over one's clan (kula), gotra, family, and children from misfortune.