Lokas

Lokas are realms or planes of existence in Hindu cosmology, described as levels of reality inhabited by beings, gods, sages, and others. The term loka means world or realm, and it is used to describe a hierarchical structure of the cosmos from the earthly to distant spiritual domains.

Most commonly, 14 lokas are described: seven upper lokas and seven lower lokas. The upper lokas include Bhu-loka (the earthly realm), Bhuvar-loka (the atmosphere or intermediate region), Svarga-loka (the heaven of gods), and the higher realms Mahar-loka, Jana-loka, Tapo-loka, and Satya-loka (often equated with Brahma-loka). The lower lokas, sometimes called the underworlds, are Atala, Vitala, Sutala, Talatala, Mahatala, Rasatala, and Patala. Names and order vary by text, but the 14-loka schema is a common feature in many Puranas and regional traditions.

Lokas are sometimes treated as literal places and other times as symbolic schemes for stages of spiritual progress or for the kinds of beings that reside in them. They are frequently referenced in discussions of karma, dharma, and the afterlife, with ascent to higher lokas associated with virtue and divine favor, and descent to lower lokas linked to wrongdoing. The highest lokas are linked with contemplation and divine union, while moksha—the liberation from the cycle of birth and death—is described as beyond all lokas.

The concept of lokas also informs Hindu cosmology in arts, temple architecture, and meditation guides. Variations in names and interpretations reflect the diversity of Hindu thought across regions and periods.