Svarga
Sign in to savethumb|380x380px|Frieze of Gandharva|gandharvas and apsaras, residents of Svarga Svarga (, ), also known as Swarga, Indraloka and Svargaloka, is the celestial abode of the devas in Hinduism. Svarga is one of the seven higher lokas (esoteric planes) in Hindu cosmology. Svarga is often translated as heaven, though it is regarded to be dissimilar to the concept of the Abrahamic Heaven.
Article
9 sectionsContents
- Description
- Literature
- ''Vedas''
- ''Puranas''
- ''Ramayana''
- ''Mahabharata''
- ''Bhagavad Gita''
- See also
- References
thumb|380x380px|Frieze of Gandharva|gandharvas and apsaras, residents of Svarga Svarga (, ), also known as Swarga, Indraloka and Svargaloka, is the celestial abode of the devas in Hinduism. Svarga is one of the seven higher lokas (esoteric planes) in Hindu cosmology. Svarga is often translated as heaven, though it is regarded to be dissimilar to the concept of the Abrahamic Heaven.
== Description == Svarga is a set of celestial worlds located on and above Mount Meru, where those who had led righteous lives by adhering to the scriptures delight in pleasures, before their next birth on earth. It is described to have been built by the deity Tvashtar, the Vedic architect of the devas. thumb|253x253px|Painting of Indra, the ruler of Svarga, upon Airavata The king of the devas, Indra, is the ruler of Svarga, ruling it with his consort, Indrani. His palace in the abode is called Vaijayanta. This palace holds the famous hall, Sudharma, unrivalled among all the princely courts. The capital of Svarga is Amaravati, and its entrance is guarded by the legendary elephant, Airavata. Svarga is described to be the home of Kamadhenu, the cow of plenty, as well as Parijata, the tree that grants all wishes. The legendary Kalpavriksha tree grows in the centre of the Nandana gardens, which was planted there by Indra after it emerged from the Samudra Manthana, the churning of the ocean. Due to its location, Svarga is called Tridiva, the third highest heaven.