Devalok

Local stories of the Indian gods

Stories that belong to one place: a temple, a hill, a river bend, a village that has told its own version for centuries and sees no reason to stop. We keep them as the place tells them, beside the better-known telling, never flattened into it.

All kinds LegendsLocal storiesFolk talesFrom the epicsFestival stories
Told across IndiaFrom the Vedic hymnsNorth IndiaSouth IndiaEast IndiaWest IndiaNepal and beyond
The Linga of Ice Local story · Kashmir · the Amarnath cave, as the chronicles and the travellers saw itThe Linga of Ice The Shepherd and the Sack of Coal Local story · Kashmir · Batakote above Pahalgam, and the Amarnath caveThe Shepherd and the Sack of Coal The King Who Could Not Hold a Horse Sacrifice Local story · Bengal · Taherpur in Rajshahi, and Shobhabazar in KolkataThe King Who Could Not Hold a Horse Sacrifice The Pebble the Myna Dropped Local story · Kashmir · the lake that became the valley, and Hari Parbat in SrinagarThe Pebble the Myna Dropped The Hill of Ten Goddesses Local story · Northeast India · Nilachal hill, Guwahati, AssamThe Hill of Ten Goddesses The Sister at the Door Local story · Odisha · Puri, and Dwaraka in the tellingThe Sister at the Door The Hunter Girl of Ahobilam Local story · South India · Ahobilam, Andhra PradeshThe Hunter Girl of Ahobilam The Bhairab No One Lies To Local story · The Himalaya and Nepal · Kathmandu Durbar SquareThe Bhairab No One Lies To The God Who Drinks at Ujjain Local story · Central India · Ujjain, Madhya PradeshThe God Who Drinks at Ujjain The Kotwal of Kashi Local story · North India · Kashi (Varanasi), Uttar PradeshThe Kotwal of Kashi The Chariot That Waited for Salabega Local story · East India · PuriThe Chariot That Waited for Salabega The God and His Friend Vavar Local story · South India · Erumely and SabarimalaThe God and His Friend Vavar The King Who Gave Away His Kingdom Local story · South India · Thiruvananthapuram, KeralaThe King Who Gave Away His Kingdom The Girl on Trikuta Mountain Local story · North India · Katra and the Trikuta hills, JammuThe Girl on Trikuta Mountain The Girl in the Millet Field Local story · South India · Vallimalai and Tiruttani, Tamil Nadu; Kataragama, Sri LankaThe Girl in the Millet Field The Boy Who Taught His Father Local story · South India · Swamimalai, near Kumbakonam, Tamil NaduThe Boy Who Taught His Father The Mango Tree in the Sea Local story · South India · Tiruchendur, Thoothukudi district, Tamil NaduThe Mango Tree in the Sea The Temple Where Fate Is Rewritten Local story · South India · Tirupattur, near Tiruchirappalli, Tamil NaduThe Temple Where Fate Is Rewritten The God Who Played Dice Local story · South India · Tirumala, Andhra PradeshThe God Who Played Dice The Fortune-Teller at the Palace Local story · South India · Tirumala and Narayanavanam, Andhra PradeshThe Fortune-Teller at the Palace The Cow That Fed the Anthill Local story · South India · Tirumala, Andhra PradeshThe Cow That Fed the Anthill The Dance in the Banyan Forest Local story · South India · Tiruvalangadu and Chidambaram, Tamil NaduThe Dance in the Banyan Forest The Temple Built with the Tax Local story · South India · Bhadrachalam, TelanganaThe Temple Built with the Tax The Arm That Came Out of the Hill Local story · North and West India · Govardhan, Uttar Pradesh, and Nathdwara, RajasthanThe Arm That Came Out of the Hill The Window at Udupi Local story · South India · Udupi, KarnatakaThe Window at Udupi The God Who Waited on a Brick Local story · West India · Pandharpur, MaharashtraThe God Who Waited on a Brick The Tears That Made Two Lakes Local story · Punjab · Katas Raj in the Salt Range, and Pushkar in RajasthanThe Tears That Made Two Lakes The Garland She Wore First Local story · Tamil Nadu · Srivilliputhur and SrirangamThe Garland She Wore First The Gooseberry and the Golden Rain Local story · Kerala · Punnorkode near Aluva, and KaladyThe Gooseberry and the Golden Rain The Boat of the Onam Feast Local story · South India · Aranmula, Pathanamthitta, KeralaThe Boat of the Onam Feast The Temple That Turned to the West Local story · East India · Deo, Aurangabad district, BiharThe Temple That Turned to the West Sita's Fast at Munger Local story · East India · Munger, BiharSita's Fast at Munger The Cow at Khatu Local story · West India · Khatu, Sikar district, RajasthanThe Cow at Khatu The God Who Came to Kullu Local story · Kullu, Himachal PradeshThe God Who Came to Kullu The Wife Who Came Late Local story · Western India · Pushkar, RajasthanThe Wife Who Came Late The Goddess of the Full Plate Local story · North India · Kashi (Varanasi), and BengalThe Goddess of the Full Plate The Hundred Years of Karavira Local story · Western India · Kolhapur, MaharashtraThe Hundred Years of Karavira Forty-Eight Letters Local story · South India · Madurai, Tamil NaduForty-Eight Letters The Girl with Three Breasts Local story · South India · Madurai, Tamil NaduThe Girl with Three Breasts The Lotus at Tiruchanur Local story · South India · Tiruchanur, Andhra PradeshThe Lotus at Tiruchanur The Badri Tree Local story · Himalaya · Badrinath, UttarakhandThe Badri Tree The Hill of Fire Local story · South India · Kanchi and Tiruvannamalai, Tamil NaduThe Hill of Fire The Secret at Amarnath Local story · Kashmir · the Amarnath caveThe Secret at Amarnath The Boy and the Iluppa Tree Local story · Thiruvananthapuram, KeralaThe Boy and the Iluppa Tree Why Ranganatha Faces South Local story · Srirangam, Tamil NaduWhy Ranganatha Faces South The Carpenter Behind the Door Local story · OdishaThe Carpenter Behind the Door Where Sharada Showed Herself Local story · Kashmir · Sharada Peeth, and Basar on the Godavari, TelanganaWhere Sharada Showed Herself The Fire She Carried Local story · Western India · Prabhasa (Somnath) and PushkarThe Fire She Carried The Wind and the Serpent Local story · South India and Sri LankaThe Wind and the Serpent The Boy Who Held Shiva's Linga Local story · Gokarna, KarnatakaThe Boy Who Held Shiva's Linga

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