Most community deities, or gramadevatas, are feminine—associated with earth, fertility, healing and protection. Their names often reflect their association to the Mother Goddess, through a prefix or suffix of Ma, Mata, Matrika or Amman, which are all translations of "mother." Sometimes regional gramadevatas have been merged with that of a greater pantheon deity such as the Goddess Durga, known affectionately throughout India as Durga-Ma.
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