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<i>Naraka</i> (Sanskrit; Pali: <i>Niraya</i>) is a term in Buddhist cosmology usually referred to in English as 'hell'. The <i>Naraka</i> of Buddhism is closely related to <i>Diyu</i>, the hell of Chinese mythology.<br/><br/> A <i>Naraka</i> differs from the hell of Christianity in two respects: firstly, beings are not sent to <i>Naraka</i> as the result of a divine judgment and punishment; secondly, the length of a being's stay in a <i>Naraka</i> is not eternal, though it is usually very long.
Nats are spirits worshipped in Burma in conjunction with Buddhism. They are divided between the 37 Great Nats and all the rest (i.e., spirits of trees, water, etc). Almost all of the 37 Great Nats were human beings who met violent deaths.<br/><br/> According to Sir Richard Carnac Temple, who wrote the definitive English language study on The Thirty-Seven Nats in 1906, all Burmese nat—with two exceptions, including Thagya Nat—are the spirits either of former royalty, or of persons connected with royalty. Most lived between the 13th and 17th centuries, and nowadays each is associated with a special cult, that is a specific ceremony or festival, together with an appropriate place and time for performing it.
Sir Richard Carnac Temple, 2nd Baronet CB, CIE (15 October 1850 – 3 March 1931) was the British Chief Commissioner of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and an anthropological writer.<br/><br/><i>The Thirty-Seven Nats</i> is a highly illustrated study of animism in Burma, published in 1906.