Description
The Trāyastriṃśa heaven is the second of the heavens of the Kāmadhātu, just above Catumaharajika or the realm of the Four Heavenly Kings, and is the highest of the heavens that maintains a physical connection with the rest of the world. Trāyastriṃśa is located on the peak of Sumeru, the central mountain of the world, at a height of 80 yojanas; the total area of the heaven is 80 yojanas square. This heaven is therefore comparable to the Greek Mount Olympus in some respects.
According to Vasubandhu, inhabitants of Trāyastriṃśa are each half a krośa tall (about 1500 feet) and live for 1000 years, of which each day is equivalent to 100 years of our world: that is, for a total of 36 million of our years.
Since Trāyastriṃśa is physically connected to the world through Sumeru, unlike the heavens above it, the Trāyastriṃśa devas are unable to avoid being entangled in worldly affairs. In particular, they frequently find themselves in quarrels with the asuras, a separate set of divine beings who were expelled from Trāyastriṃśa and who now dwell at the foot of Sumeru, plotting for ways to recover their lost kingdom. There is, however, marriage between the devas and the asuras just as there is between the Æsir and the jötnar in Norse mythology.
The chief of the Trāyastriṃśa devas is Śakra (Pāli: Sakka), also known as Indra. Other Trāyastriṃśa devas who are frequently mentioned are Viśvakarman (Vissakamma), the devas' craftsman and builder; Mātali, who drives Śakra's chariot; and Sujā, Śakra's wife and daughter of the Asura chief Vemacitrin (Vepacitti).
The Trāyastriṃśa heaven appears several times in Buddhist stories, in which either the Buddha ascends to Trāyastriṃśa, or (more often) deities from Trāyastriṃśa descend to meet the Buddha. The Buddha's mother, Maya, was reborn in the Tusita Heaven, and came down to visit Trāyastriṃśa heaven where her son taught her the abhidharma.
The "thirty-three" in the name of the heaven is not an enumeration of the gods who live there (there are far more) but a general term inherited from Vedic mythology, implying "the whole pantheon of gods". In Theravada Buddhist legends, there were 33 humans in Sakka's original group (who made enough merit to become devas atop Mount Sineru).
In Buddhism, there are "Yāmā devāḥ", "Tushitānāṃ", "Nirmāṇaratayaḥ devāḥ", and "Paranirmita-vaśavartinaḥ devāḥ" above Trāyastriṃśa and "Catumaharajika" below. They are called the six heavens together with Śakro devānām (Śakra). More heaven "Sunirmita devāḥ" is sometimes added to these depending on sūtras.
Origins
In Buddhism, Tāvatiṁsa (Pali) has an interesting origin story. Many eras ago, before the Historical Buddha, there lived a man named Magha. He was a village leader and gathered 33 companions to help him do good merit, such as build rest houses, plant trees, etc. Naturally, him and his companions died due to old age or disease. Because of their good deeds, Magha was reborn as Sakka, the Devaraja (King of Devas) of Tāvatiṁsa, and his 33 companions were reborn as the Thirty-Three Great Gods of Tāvatiṁsa. When Sakka and his Thirty-Three gods were reborn into Tāvatiṁsa, the Asuras (which were the ones who lived in the Heaven at the time) prepared a giant feast with lots of Sura. Sakka told his 33 Gods to refuse, because they would be heavily intoxicated after drinking it. When the feast was done, the Asuras were heavily intoxicated, just like Sakka said. Him and his 33 Gods made the decision to throw the Asuras off of Sumeru due to them being a danger to the sanctity and morality of the heaven. The Asuras woke up at the lower point of Sumeru, and felt betrayed. They made a vow to never drink Sura again, which explains their name. (lit. "not-sura") They constantly attempt to get back their home through force, climbing up Sumeru and fighting the Devas of both Catumaharajika (first heaven) and Tāvatiṁsa (second heaven).
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