Decentralizing the Divine

Tamil village deities, known as "Nattar Deivam (நாட்டார் தெய்வம்)," are revered folk spirits that form the spiritual backbone of rural Tamil communities. These sacred entities embody the essence of local landscapes, ancestral wisdom, and natural phenomena.

Unlike hierarchical religious institutions, these divine entities operate within a beautifully decentralized framework. Each village cultivates its own unique relationship with its protective spirits, creating a rich tapestry of spiritual practices that honor both tradition and local autonomy.

"Technically", these entities are not affiliated with any 'organized religions'. Instead, each village or community follows a highly decentralized cultural approach—a grassroots spirituality that predates and exists alongside formalized religious structures.

This project explores the fascinating intersection of decentralization—both in the cultural-spiritual sense and as a technological concept—examining how distributed systems of belief mirror contemporary ideas about autonomy, community governance, and resistance to centralized control.