| Bathalà/Maykapál | |
|---|---|
The Supreme Being and Creator of the Universe | |
 An illustration depicting Bathalà, a Diwatà and the bird Sarim | |
| Abode | Kaluwálhatian |
| Symbol | Tigmamanukin |
| Adherents | Pre-Hispanic Tagalogs |
| Equivalents | |
| Greek equivalent | Phanes |
| Hindu equivalent | Prajapati |
| Yoruba equivalent | Olodumare |
| Chinese equivalent | Shangdi |
| Israelite equivalent | YHWH |
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 Philippines portal |
In the indigenous religion of the ancient Tagalogs, Bathalà/Maykapál was the transcendent Supreme God,[1] the originator and ruler of the universe. He is commonly known and referred to in the modern era as Bathalà, a term or title which, in earlier times, also applied to lesser beings such as personal tutelary spirits, omen birds, comets, and other heavenly bodies which the early Tagalog people believed predicted events. It was after the arrival of the Spanish missionaries in the Philippines in the 16th century that Bathalà /Maykapál came to be identified with the Christian God, hence its synonymy with Diyós. Over the course of the 19th century, the term Bathala was totally replaced by Panginoón (Lord) and Diyós (God). It was no longer used until it was popularized again by Filipinos who learned from chronicles that the Tagalogs' indigenous God was called Bathalà.[2]
- ^ Orde, Joen Rico M.; Publishing, Ukiyoto (31 October 2020). Collected Tales And Legends From The Philippines. Ukiyoto Publishing. ISBN 978-981-14-8708-8.
- ^ Reyes y Florentino, Isabelo de los (1909). La religión antigua de los Filipinos. Manila: Impr. de el Renacimiento, 1909. Page 33-34, 113.