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| Patala | |
|---|---|
| Name | Patala |
| Native name | ପାଟଳ/پاتال |
| Settlement type | Mythological realm |
| Country | Mythological systems of South Asia |
| Region | Indic cosmology |
| Established | Ancient period |
Patala is a term from Indic cosmological traditions denoting subterranean realms described in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. It appears across texts attributed to authors and schools such as the Vedas, Mahabharata, Ramayana, Puranas, Buddha, Mahavira, and later commentators like Adi Shankaracharya and Nagarjuna. Patala is variously depicted as a series of netherworlds inhabited by beings linked to figures and places like Vishnu, Shiva, Indra, Brahma, Narakas, and mythic dynasties connected to Naga clans and the city of Lanka.
Ancient Sanskrit lexicons such as the Amarakosha and grammatical works of Pāṇini treat the word as derived from the root paṭa- and relate it to subterranean or low-lying domains referenced in texts like the Rigveda and Atharvaveda. Classical commentators including Yaska and Patanjali discuss semantic fields linking it to words found in the Mahabharata and later Puranas such as the Vishnu Purana and Bhagavata Purana. Medieval lexica used in courts of the Gupta Empire and in the milieu of poets like Kalidasa preserve poetic uses overlapping with terms for palaces, caves, and the island realm of Lanka.
Hindu sources describe a stratified cosmology in scriptures like the Mahabharata, Ramayana, and the Puranas, where multiple netherworlds correlate with deities and dynasties including Vishnu, Shiva, Brahma, and celestial sovereigns such as Indra. Texts such as the Vishnu Purana and Bhagavata Purana enumerate seven or more nether regions associated with naga-kings like Vasuki and Takshaka and link to legendary locales like Kshira Sagara and the city of Ayodhya by genealogical or narrative ties. The devotional literature of Vaishnavism and Shaivism often situates avatars and asuras in relation to subterranean realms, with epic episodes involving figures like Ravana, Sugriva, Hanuman, Parashurama, and kings chronicled in the Puranic genealogies.
Buddhist cosmologies in texts attributed to the Buddha and preserved in the Pali Canon and Mahayana sutras describe layered hells and lower realms inhabited by beings akin to those in Hinduism, with references to subterranean palaces and naga-kingdoms such as those ruled by Mucalinda. Commentarial traditions of Theravada and Mahayana interpreters like Asanga and Vasubandhu compare these realms with the Deva stations and karmic rebirth narratives found in works tied to Ashoka era translations. Jain cosmology, expounded by teachers in the tradition of Mahavira and commentators such as Umasvati, likewise maps lower continents and subterranean regions inhabited by semi-divine and infernal beings, intersecting in iconography and ritual narratives preserved in sects like the Digambara and Śvētāmbara communities.
Patala-related motifs appear in epics and poems by authors such as Valmiki, Vyasa, and Kalidasa, and in later medieval works associated with courts of the Chola and Chalukya dynasties. Temple sculpture in centers like Ellora, Ajanta, Khajuraho, and Konark represent naga figures, subterranean palaces, and episodes involving Vishnu and Shiva that evoke nether realms. Miniature painting traditions patronized by houses such as the Mughal Empire and Rajput courts occasionally depict cosmological diagrams alongside manuscripts of the Puranas and Ramayana. In performance traditions, adaptations by troupes influenced by Kathakali, Yakshagana, and folk theater recount episodes tied to naga-kings and nether realms featuring characters from the Mahabharata and the Ramayana.
Religious practices connected to subterranean realm myths inform pilgrimage sites like Rameswaram, Dwarka, and Pushkar where narratives of descent and subterranean treasures intersect with temple rites of Vaishnavism and Shaivism. Festivals associated with naga veneration—observed in regional contexts such as Kerala, Karnataka, and Assam—invoke lineages tracing back to names like Vasuki and invoke rituals preserved in communities linked to monastic institutions like Sankaracharya Math and lay patronage from dynasties such as the Pallava and Pandyas. Literary traditions from poets like Tulsidas and Surdas integrate nether realm imagery into devotional modes of the Bhakti movement, while colonial scholars such as James Prinsep and Max Müller recorded indigenous articulations within orientalist frameworks.
Scholars in comparative religion and Indology—from Winternitz and Knut A. Jacobsen to contemporary researchers affiliated with institutions like SOAS and the University of Oxford—analyze the concept alongside cross-cultural subterranean motifs found in Ancient Greece, Mesopotamia, and Norse mythology such as comparisons to Hades and Hel. Modern literary and popular culture references by authors and filmmakers in India—drawing on sources like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata—rework subterranean realm motifs in novels, comics, and cinema produced by studios in Mumbai and theatrical circuits linked to Bengal and Tamil Nadu. Archaeological and philological research published in journals and museums connected to institutions like the ASI and the British Museum continues to trace iconographic continuities between textual descriptions and material culture.
Category:Hindu cosmology Category:Buddhist cosmology Category:Jainism