{{short description|Hindu god, son of Aditi}} {{distinguish|Dharti (disambiguation){{!}}Dharti}} {{refimprove|date=August 2016}} {{Infobox deity |type = Hindu |affiliation= Adityas |gender = male |texts = Vedas, Mahabharata, Ramayana, Puranas |mother = Aditi |father = Kashyapa | consorts= {{hlist|Kuhu|Sinivali|Raka|Anumati}} | siblings = ''Adityas'' | children = {{hlist|Sayam|Darsha|Pratar|Purnamasa}} | color = yellow}} In Hinduism, '''Dhata''' ({{langx|sa|धाता}}) or '''Dhatr''' ({{langx|sa|धातृ}}) is the name of the solar deity, one of the Adityas.<ref>{{cite book|title=Original Sanskrit Texts on the Origin and History of the People of India, Their Religion and Institutions, Volume 2 |page=106|author=John Muir}}</ref><ref name="Mani232">Mani p. 232</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Lochtefeld|first=James G.|title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Volume 1|publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc|year=2001l|isbn=978-0-8239-3179-8|language=en|page=10}}</ref> He is also a god of health and magic. He is invoked in tantra by drawing tantras and chanting Vedic hymns. Often invoked during major yagnas such as Ashwamedha yagna.

Dhata is evidenced as an Aditya in both Hindu epics - the ''Mahabharata'' and the ''Ramayana''.<ref>Mani p. 265</ref> He is described to fought Arjuna and Krishna in burning of Khandava Forest episode in the epic ''Mahabharata''.<ref name="Mani232"/> The ''Bhagavata Purana'' also mentions Dhata as the seventh son of Aditi and Kashyapa. In this text, he has four wives — Kuhu, Sinivali, Raka, and Anumati — who gave birth to his sons — Sayam, Darsha, Pratar and Purnamasa respectively.<ref name = "BhP" >[https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/the-bhagavata-purana/d/doc1127162.html#note-t-190332 Bhagavata Purana, Book 6 - Sixth Skandha, Chapter 18]</ref> In the ''Agni Purana'', he is associated with the colour yellow and the zodiac cancer.<ref>Mani p. 265</ref>

==Notes== {{reflist}}

==References== * {{cite book | author = Mani, Vettam | title = Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary With Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature | url = https://archive.org/details/puranicencyclopa00maniuoft | publisher = Motilal Banarsidass | year = 1975 | location = Delhi | isbn = 0-8426-0822-2 }}

{{Hindu Deities and Texts}}

Category:Health gods Category:Solar gods Category:Hindu gods Category:Adityas

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