Hinduism

Other goddesses

In Hinduism, "other gods" can be, for most of the time, understood as a kind of "organs", "moods", or "dispositions" of One God and these "organs" or "moods" have their names. For example, a finger of One God is Ganesh, a fingernail Indra. Vishnu followers often consider Shiva a manifestation of the Vishnu's energy; shaivists have the same opinion - Vishnu, according to them, is the manifestation of Shiva. However, opinions differ in the perception of Trimurti - some of them are even strictly monotheistic. Shakta followers perceive this similarly - Devi Mata is the Supreme God of All. Unfortunately, "fingers", "organs", or "anger" of One God are seen by this Western or European culture only separately from the Main Body, so here is a conflict between the two cultures, which are incompatible in their thinking.

There is also a cult of Sapta Matrika (Sapta - seven; matrika or matrka - mother). But the term Ashta (eight) Matrikas appears too (here Durga alone is the eighth Goddess).

The cult of Sapta Matrikas or Ashta Matrikas developed in the very ancient past. It is the cult of seven or eight Divine Mothers:

1. Brahmani. 2. Maheshvari. 3. Kaumari. 4. Vaishnavi. 5. Varahi. 6. Indrani. 7. Chamundi.

These mothers are often seen around Ganesh

The Gods have also their consorts. Varahi on the picture is the consort of Yama, the god of death. Vishnu's consort is Lakshmi, Brahma's is Saraswati, Shiva's is Parvati, Ganesha's is Riddhi and Siddhi. Murugan's consorts are Teyvayanai and Valli.

Alakshmi

An older sister of Lakshmi and the goddess of misfortune.

Bahuchara Mata

Bahuchara Mata is a Hindu goddess. She was a daughter of a charan.

Bhadrakali

The gentle Kali, which was created by Shiva along with Virabhadra after Daksha had insulted Lord Shiva.

Chelamma

Chelamma is a Hindu goddess of the South Karnataka region in India.
She is a Scorpion Goddess and is worshipped along with the tantric goddess Kolaramma (Durga) in Kolar (a city in South Indian state of Karnataka).

Chatuhsasthi Yogini - 64 Yogini

The 64 Yogini cult was a mystical female cult in the 9th and 13th (AD) century which developed supernatural powers. Yoginis are not witches, but servants of Mother Divine - all devotional in nature. There are rumors that they could develop supernatural abilities (dematerialization, etc.) and this is probably true, as people living near their abandoned temples refer to Yoginis in hushed tones. The Yogini temple at Hirapur existed for many hundred years but it was discovered only in 1953, which also proves that Yoginis have always evoked dread. It is wrong to confuse the Yogini cult with black magic, but the word "black tantricism" can be used. Their central focus of worship was Bhairavi, Kali and Shiva (Bhairava) and they dance with Him eternally. The difference between Kali and Bhairavi is that Shiva is particularly extremely wrathful as the Bhairavi's consort but His wrathfulness is not seen so much as the Kali's consort. Some people believe that Bhairavi is thus the fiercest form of Mother Divine.

Dakini

A strictly female historical cult; the term "dakini" means something like a "sky dancer". Some female followers wanted to achieve supernatural abilities and practiced various forms of secret tantras. The term "dakini" or "yogini" is sometimes confused and used for mysterious females who could activate certain extraordinary powers, but there is a DIFFERENCE between Dakini (a witch, or a female embodiment of enlightened energy) and Yogini (a devotional female yogi). Dakinis are prevalent in Hinduism and Zhang Zhung Bön tradition; in the Tibetan Buddhism they act like a muse.

Ganga

Ganga is mentioned in the Rig Veda, the earliest of the Hindu scriptures. According to Hindus the river Ganga is sacred. They worship it in a female form as a goddess who holds an important place in the Hindu religion.

Kali Sara

Kali Sara is the Black Madonna of the Roma people, who come to the city Les Saintes Maries de la Mer in France every year to worship Kali Sara. This worship by the Roma people is recorded from the 19th century and many authors see a parallel with the Indian Goddess Kali. The Catholic Church approves the pilgrimage, although the origin of the black statue is not quite clear, as it is very ancient; some believe that the "Black Madonna" was here already before the arrival of Christianity. It is a known fact that Roma people come from India. Thus they could import Kali to Europe, which was referenced by some ethnographers as a possibility not quite known by the majority population in Europe the Roma people live with.

Khodiyar Maa

Khodiyar Maa is goddess from the Naga kingdom - click here.

Lakshmi

She is the goddess of wealth and beauty. She has its analogical representations in Buddhism too, and is analogical to the Greek goddess Aphrodite. Lakshmi is Vishnu's consort, but throughout the history she received various names depending on her incarnation (for example, Sita in Ramayana...).

Lalita Tripurasundari - the Red Goddess

Tripura Sundari, also called Shodashi or Lalita belongs to the group of ten Goddesses - Mahavidyas. It is believed that Lalita (also spelled as Lalitha) rose from the fire of a sacrifice, which advised sage Narada as an instruction for the devas in their fight against a bad demon. Lalita was very beautiful and she married Lord Kameshwara, a form of Lord Shiva, and made Her stay at the top of Maha Meru Mountain. A lot of information about Lalita is in the Brahmanda Purana (old epic of the universe).

Prithvi

Prithvi is the Hindu term for Mother Earth and She, if personified, is considered to be the second wife of Lord Vishnu. She has also other names such as Bhudevi or Bhuma Devi (the Hindu Mother Goddess known as Pachamama in South America). She is the personification of the Earth. Lord Vishnu married her in his Varaha incarnation when he won the battle with demon Hiranyaksha. Varaha, when He carried the Earth out of the ocean, married Prithvi (Bhudevi) in His varaha avatar form and Bhudevi is the second (first is Lakshmi) wife of Lord Vishnu. She is also called Bhumi, Bhudevi or Bhuma Devi.

Radha

Radha is the consort of Lord Krishna. For some, she is also the form of Shakti in vaishnavism.

Rati

She is the goddess of passion and a daughter of Daksha (an ancient creator god, but not so powerful as Shiva or Vishnu).

Santoshi Maa

Santoshi Mata is relatively a new deity, which was made popular in 1975 following a religious film entitled Jai Santoshi Maa. Her devotees perceive her as Ganesha's daughter.

Saranyu

This is Surya's consort and the goddess of dawn and clouds.

Sitala

She is a non-Vedic goddess of disease sometimes referred to as a village goddess. A similar goddess Mari is known in other parts of India. Most scholars maintain that these "village goddesses" are nothing but a different representation of the Mother Goddess (Kali, Parvati...).

Tara

Tara is the aspect of Great Devi (Hinduism), but She is also the Buddhist goddess. Buddhism adopted some female deities from pre-Buddhist cultures - for example, Hariti (Kishi-mojin in Japanese), originally a cannibalistic deity, was inherited probably from aboriginal tribes. We may speak about the Hariti and Yakshani cults, too. Yaksha is the name of a broad class of nature's spirits, which appear in the Hindu, Jain and Buddhist mythology. Buddhism has substitutes of Hindu female deities in Tara, for example. Tara is the principal Buddhist Goddess with a number of attributes, often sharing the same status of (Hindu) Devi Durga. The Tibetan Buddhism has thousands of deities, but Tara is the One known to all.

Ushas

She is a Vedic deity who wards off evil spirits. Her name in Sanskrit (ushas) means dawn.

Varuni

Varuni, goddess of wine, is the consort of Varuna (god of the oceans).

Yeshé Walmo

Yeshé Walmo is a deity of the Bön culture, which predates the Tibetan Buddhism (Magic Wisdom Goddess).

Yami

Yami is the first woman together with her twin brother Yama. She is the goddess of river Yamuna.

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