patala

Patala, in Hindu cosmology, is the underworld and the lowest of the traditional spiritual realms, or lokas. The Sanskrit term patala roughly means beneath or underworld. In many accounts, the universe consists of multiple lokas that extend below the earthly Bhurloka, with Patala lying beneath it and forming part of a system of subterranean realms.

Across sources, Patala is sometimes described together with four other subterranean realms—Atala, Vitala, Sutala, and Talatala—collectively known as the patala-lokas. The exact ordering and nature of these realms vary by text; some accounts place Patala at the bottom of the sequence, while others describe a connected chain of realms accessible through subterranean passages or rivers.

Patala is depicted as home to various beings, including Nagas (serpent beings) and asuras, among others. It is often portrayed as a place of riches and magical resources, and stories sometimes feature gods or heroes visiting or negotiating with its inhabitants or rulers. A well-known myth in which Patala figures is the Vamana legend, where Bali is exiled to Sutala, one of the patala-lokas, after offering the dwarf Brahmin a boon.

Patala appears in many Hindu texts, including the Puranas and the Mahabharata, and has influenced later literature and popular culture. The concept is part of broader Indian cosmology and, in some traditions, is compared with underworld schemes in Buddhist and Jain cosmology, where analogous realms exist though named differently.