Parivara Devatas, or subsidiary deities, are an important
aspect of a Hindu temple. As per Hindu belief, the chief gods are accompanied
by a host of attendant gods known as Parivara Devatas.
Symbolically, Parivara Devatas are a concept based on the extended
family system followed in ancient India. Human body may be seen to form the
basic layout of the temple. The Hindu temple is a mirror of the cosmos and on a
lower a mirror of the Hindu family.
Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are often described as adoring
their respective regions brahmaloka, Vaikuntha and Kailasa. In these regions
they are surrounded by a host of gana or attendants.
Lord Shiva is guarded by the sentries Chanda and Prachanda
and accompanied by a host of gods such as Nandikeshwara (bull), Bhringi,
Veerabhadra (the Shiva Ganas), the seven divine mothers, Lord Vinayaka (himself
the Lord of several bhuta ganas) and Kartik (Devasenapathi).
In South India, a Shiva temple has Shivling in the sanctum
and the murtis of attendant gods and sixty three Shaivite saints in different
places.
Similarly, in a temple of Lord Vishnu, the sentries Jaya and
Vijaya stand at the entrance of the sanctum; the insignia of Vishnu, such as
Garuda and Sudarshana, represented with anthropomorphic features are near the
entrance of the temple.
The images of various avatars of Vishnu along with Ganesha and
Hanuman form the general characteristic parivara devatas (attendant gods).
The chief deity in the sanctum is one of the manifold forms of
Vishnu, accompanied by goddesses Sridevi (Lakshmi) and Bhudevi (earth), or
different forms of Rama and his brothers, Sita and Anjaneya or one of the forms
of Krishna, as the case may be.
Surya (sun) is held as the chief among the nine planets, and
so his image at the center, surrounded by the images of the other eight planets
which are regarded as parivara devatas is found in special enclosures in all
Shiva temples.
In the worship of gods in a Hindu home puja room, different
sacred murtis represent Shiva, Vishnu, Ganapati, Surya and Goddess Ambika in
the panchayatana puja; the murti representing the favorite deity of the votary
is placed in the center surrounded by the other stones as subordinate ones.
At the time of festivities in many Hindu temples, the
festival icon is taken outside the temple in a procession, accompanied by the
festival icons of other attendant gods.