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Sheetala (,
IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that emerged during ...
: ) , also spelled as Shitala and Seetla, is a Hindu goddess venerated primarily in North India. She is regarded to be an incarnation of the goddess Parvati. She is believed to cure poxes, sores, ghouls, pustules, and diseases, and most directly linked with the disease smallpox. Sheetala is worshipped on Tuesday Saptami and
Ashtami Ashtami (अष्टमी ''aṣṭamī'') is the eighth day (Tithi) of Hindu lunar calendar. Festivals Krishna Janmashtami Krishna Janmashtami or Gokul Ashtami is a Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Lord Krishna, an avatar of Hindu deit ...
(the seventh and eighth day of a Hindu month), especially after Holi during the month of
Chaitra Chaitra (Hindi: चैत्र) is a month of the Hindu calendar. In the standard Hindu calendar and India's national civil calendar, Chaitra is the first month of the year. It is the last month in the Bengali calendar, where it is called Cho ...
. The celebration of the goddess Sheetala on the seventh and eighth day of the Hindu month is referred to as the Sheetala Saptami and
Sheetala Asthami Sheetala Ashtami or Sheetalasthami is a Hindu festival in honor of the goddess Shitala or Sheetala, celebrated on the eighth day (ashtami) after the festival of colors, Holi. Sheetala Ashtami is celebrated on the eighth day of Krishna Paksha (the ...
, respectively .


Legends associated

The deity is principally featured as a women’s goddess, portrayed as a mother who defends children from paediatric ailments, such as exanthemata. She also serves as a fertility goddess, who assists women in finding good husbands and the conception of healthy sons. Her auspicious presence promises the welfare of the family, and is also considered to protect the devotee's sources of livelihood. Sheetala is also summoned to ensure refreshing rainfall and the prevention of famines, droughts, as well as cattle diseases. The Skanda Purana describes her role:


Name and variants

In Sanskrit, the name 'Sheetala' (शीतला ''śītalā'') literally means 'the one who cools'; as an epithet of the
mother goddess A mother goddess is a goddess who represents a personified deification of motherhood, fertility goddess, fertility, creation, destruction, or the earth goddess who embodies the bounty of the earth or nature. When equated with the earth or t ...
or Devi revered in Hinduism, 'Sheetala' represents the divine blessing of bestowing relief from suffering, like how a cool breeze relieves the weary traveller on a sweltering day. Goddess Sheetala is worshipped under varying names across the Indian subcontinent. Devotees most often refer to Goddess Sheetala using honorific suffixes reserved for respected motherly figures, ''vis-à-vis'' Sheetala-''Ma'' ( Hindi: मां ''māṃ''), Sheetala-''Mata'' (Sanskrit: माता ''mātā''), Sheetala-''Amma'' ( Kannada: ಅಮ್ಮ ''am'ma''), ''etc''. Sheetala is revered by Hindus,
Buddhists Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gr ...
, as well as by
Adivasi The Adivasi refers to inhabitants of Indian subcontinent, generally tribal people. The term is a Sanskrit word coined in the 1930s by political activists to give the tribal people an indigenous identity by claiming an indigenous origin. The ter ...
communities. She is mentioned in Tantric and Puranic literature, and her later appearance in vernacular texts (such as the Bengali 17th century ''Sheetala-mangal-kabyas'', 'auspicious poetry' written by Manikram Gangopadhyay) has contributed to popularising her worship. Sheetala Devi's worship is especially popular in the regions of North India, where she is traditionally identified as an aspect of goddess Parvati, the divine consort of Shiva. In addition to being addressed as 'Mother', Sheetala Devi is also revered with honorific titles such as Thakurani, Jagrani (queen of the world), Karunamayi (she who is full of mercy), Mangala (the auspicious one), Bhagavati (the goddess), Dayamayi (she who is compassionate, full of grace, and kindness). In
Gurgaon Gurgaon (pronunciation: �ʊɽɡãːw, officially named Gurugram (pronunciation: �ʊɾʊɡɾaːm, is a city located in the northern Indian state of Haryana. It is situated near the Delhi–Haryana border, about southwest of the nationa ...
of
Haryana Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land ar ...
, Sheetala is considered to be
Kripi The ''Mahabharata'' is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India; it was composed by the sage Vyasa. The most important characters of ''Mahabharata'' can be said to include: Krishna; the Pandavas Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula ...
(the wife of
Drona Droṇa ( sa, द्रोण, Droṇa), also referred to as Dronacharya ( sa, द्रोणाचार्य, Droṇācārya), is a major character of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. In the epic, he serves as the royal preceptor of the Kaur ...
) and worshipped in the Sheetala Mata Mandir Gurgaon. In South India, the functions of Sheetala is taken by the goddess incarnate Mariamman, who is widely worshipped by the Dravidians.


Sheetala Puja

The worship of Shitala is conducted only by women (now men also take part in the ceremony). She is primarily worshipped in the dry seasons of winter and spring on the day, which is known as Sheetala Satam. There are many ''arti sangrah'' and ''
stuti Prayer ( sa, प्रार्थना, prārthanā) is considered to be an integral part of the Hindu religion; it is practiced during Hindu worship ('' puja'') and is an expression of devotion (''bhakti''). The chanting of ''mantras'' is the ...
s'' for the puja of Seetala. Some of them are Shri Shitla Mata Chalisa, Shitala Maa ki arti, and Shri Shitala Mata ashtak. According to common belief, many families do not light their stoves on Ashtami/Saptami day, and all devotees cheerfully eat cold food (Cooked the previous night) in the form of
prasada 200px, Prasad thaal offered to Swaminarayan temple in Ahmedabad ">Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Ahmedabad">Swaminarayan temple in Ahmedabad Prasada (, Sanskrit: प्रसाद, ), Prasadam or Prasad is a religious offering in Hinduism. Most o ...
. The idea behind this is that as spring fades and summer approaches, cold food should be avoided.


Iconography and symbolism

Sheetala is represented as a young maiden crowned with a winnowing-fan, riding a donkey, holding a short broom (either to spread or dust off germs) and a pot full of pulses (the viruses) or cold water (a vital healing tool). In smaller shrines typically found in rural village settings where the attendees are primarily from the
Bahujan ''Bahujan'' is a Pali term frequently found in Buddhist texts, with a literal meaning of "the many", or "the majority". In a modern context, it refers to the combined population of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, Mu ...
and Adivasi communities, Sheetala-Amma may be simply represented by smooth stone slabs with facial features painted on, and additional decorative adornments occasionally donated by devotees. Notably, references to neem leaves are ubiquitous in Sheetala-Ma's liturgy and also appear in her iconography. This association with neem ('' Azadirachta indica'') leaves likely demonstrates that this medicinal herb had indeed been recognised as possessing observable physiological, pharmacodynamic effects. Moreover, neem does find extensive mention in the Sushruta Samhita, where it is listed as an effective
antipyretic An antipyretic (, from ''anti-'' 'against' and ' 'feverish') is a substance that reduces fever. Antipyretics cause the hypothalamus to override a prostaglandin-induced increase in temperature. The body then works to lower the temperature, which r ...
, as well as a remedy for certain inflammatory skin conditions. Sheetala is a form of Goddess Katyayani. She provides coolness to the patients of fever. According to the
Devi Mahatmyam The ''Devi Mahatmya'' or ''Devi Mahatmyam'' ( sa, देवीमाहात्म्यम्, devīmāhātmyam, Glory of the Goddess) is a Hindu philosophical text describing the Goddess as the supreme power and creator of the universe. It is ...
, when an
asura Asuras (Sanskrit: असुर) are a class of beings in Indic religions. They are described as power-seeking clans related to the more benevolent Devas (also known as Suras) in Hinduism. In its Buddhist context, the word is sometimes translate ...
named
Jvarasura Jvara (), also called Jvarasura, is the personification of fever in Hindu tradition. He is the consort, and sometimes the attendant, of the pox-goddess, Shitala. Hinduism When Shiva was not invited to Daksha's yajna, his wife, Sati, was swept ...
gave bacterial fever to all the children, goddess Katyayani arrived in her
avatar Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearanc ...
of Sheetala to purify the children's blood by ridding them of the fever-causing bacteria, and vanquishing the evil Jvarasura. In Sanskrit means 'fever', and means 'coolness'. In North Indian iconography, Sheetala is often depicted with Jvarasura as her eternal servant. Other deities often worshipped alongside Sheetala Devi include Ghentu-debata, the god of skin diseases; Raktabati, the goddess of blood infections and the sixty-four epidemics; and Oladevi, another disease goddess (some say of cholera). She is also depicted enthroned in an eight-handed form holding
trident A trident is a three- pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm. The trident is the weapon of Poseidon, or Neptune, the God of the Sea in classical mythology. The trident may occasionally be held by other marine ...
,
broom A broom (also known in some forms as a broomstick) is a cleaning tool consisting of usually stiff fibers (often made of materials such as plastic, hair, or corn husks) attached to, and roughly parallel to, a cylindrical handle, the broomstick. ...
, discus (cakra), a jar of abrasia, or a pot full of water, branches of neem,
Scimitar A scimitar ( or ) is a single-edged sword with a convex curved blade associated with Middle Eastern, South Asian, or North African cultures. A European term, ''scimitar'' does not refer to one specific sword type, but an assortment of different ...
,
conch Conch () is a common name of a number of different medium-to-large-sized sea snails. Conch shells typically have a high spire and a noticeable siphonal canal (in other words, the shell comes to a noticeable point at both ends). In North Ame ...
. and ''vard mudra''. She is also flanked by two donkeys. This depiction has established her as a goddess of protection, good fortune, health, and power.


Buddhism

In
Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
legends,
Jvarasura Jvara (), also called Jvarasura, is the personification of fever in Hindu tradition. He is the consort, and sometimes the attendant, of the pox-goddess, Shitala. Hinduism When Shiva was not invited to Daksha's yajna, his wife, Sati, was swept ...
and Shitala are depicted sometimes as companions of
Paranasabari Parnashavari (IAST: Parṇaśabarī, sa, पर्णशबरी), also spelt as Paranasavari (Paranasabari), is a Hindu deity adopted as Buddhist deity of diseases, worship of which is believed to offer effective protection against out-breaks ...
, the Buddhist goddess of diseases. Jvarasura and Sheetala are shown escorting her to her right and left side, respectively.


Sheetala temples in India

Some of the notable temples: * Sheetala Mata Mandir, Mand, Dist. -
Mandla Mandla is a city with municipality in Mandla district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of Mandla District. The city is situated in a loop of the Narmada River, which surrounds it on three sides, and ...
, MP * Sheetala Mata birthplace, Maghra,
Bihar Sharif Bihar Sharif is the headquarters of Nalanda district and the fifth-largest sub-metropolitan area in the eastern Indian state of Bihar. Its name is a combination of two words: ''Bihar'', derived from '' vihara'' (meaning monastery), also the na ...
,
Nalanda Nalanda (, ) was a renowned ''mahavihara'' (Buddhist monastic university) in ancient Magadha (modern-day Bihar), India.Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Ben ...
*Sheetla mata mandir,agam kuan, Patna,Bihar * Sheetala Mata Mandir, Mehandi Ganj, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh * Sheetala Mata Mandir, PitaMaheshwar Kund, Gaya,
Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Ben ...
* Sheetala Mata Mandir,
Mainpuri Mainpuri is a city in Mainpuri district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of Mainpuri district and is situated to the north-east of Agra and is 270 km from New Delhi. Mainpuri forms part of the an ...
, Uttar Pradesh *Rejidi Khejdi Mandir, (Kajra, near
Surajgarh Surajgarh is a city and a municipal corporation in the district of Jhunjhunun in the sekhawati region of Indian state of Rajasthan.This place is also very well acknowledged by the commendable work done by Late Rajvaidya Shri Chotelal Ji Sharma i ...
, Jhunjunu district) Rajasthan * Sheetala Mata Mandir, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh * Sheetala Chaukiya Dham Sheetala mata Mandir, Jaunpur * Sheetala Mata Mandir Gurgaon * Sheetala Mata Temple,
Khanda, Sonipat Khanda is a historical village in Sonipat district of Haryana, India. It is from Kharkhoda and from Sonipat. It is a part of the National Capital Region. Khanda has two Gram Panchayats ''Khanda Khas'' & ''Khanda Alman''. Two Sarpanchs elects ...
* Maa Sheetala chaukiya Dham, Jaunpur * Shree Sheetala Mata Mandir, Adalpura, Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh * Shitla Mata Mandir,
Jalore Jalore () ( ISO 15919 : ''Jālora'' ), also known as '' Granite City'', is a city in the western Indian state of Rajasthan. It is the administrative headquarters of Jalore District. It has a river known as Jawai Nadi. Jalore lies to south of ...
, Rajasthan * Sheetala Mata Temple,
Reengus Reengus is a town in Shrimadhopur tehsil of Sikar district. Demographics India census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used ...
, Rajasthan * Sheetala Mata Mandir,
Garia Garia ( Bengali:গড়িয়া) is a neighborhood in southern Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It is bordered by the neighborhoods of Jadavpur in the north, Bansdroni/Tollygunge in the north-west, Santoshpur/ Mukundapur in the north-eas ...
, Kolkata * Sheetala Mata Mandir, Una, Himachal Pradesh * Sheetala Mata Mandir, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh * Harulongpher Shitalabari, Lumding, Nagaon, Assam * Shitala Mata Mandir, Jodhpur, Rajasthan * Sheetala Mata Mandir, Kaushambhi, Uttar Pradesh * Shitala Mata Mandir, Nizambad, Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh * Sheetala Mata Mandir, Barmer, Rajasthan * Sheetala Mata Mandir, Bidhlan, Sonipat * Sheetala Mata Mandir, Farrukhabad * Shitala Devi Temple,
Gurgaon Gurgaon (pronunciation: �ʊɽɡãːw, officially named Gurugram (pronunciation: �ʊɾʊɡɾaːm, is a city located in the northern Indian state of Haryana. It is situated near the Delhi–Haryana border, about southwest of the nationa ...
*Shitala Maa Temple, Samta * Sheetala Mata Mandir Anjaniya, Mandla 481998 * * Shitla Devi Mandir, Mahim, Mumbai *Shitala Mandir, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand *Shitla Devi Mandir, Chembur, Mumbai * Shitala Devi Mandir, Barad, Maharashtra. * Sheetala Devi Mandir, Ranibagh, Nainital, Uttarakhand


See also

*
Lakshmi Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with ''Maya'' ("Illusion"). Al ...
* Vishnu *
Ashvins The Ashvins ( sa, अश्विन्, Aśvin, horse possessors), also known as Ashwini Kumara and Asvinau,, §1.42. are Hindu twin gods associated with medicine, health, dawn and sciences. In the ''Rigveda'', they are described as youthful div ...
* Sita *
Dhanvantari Dhanvantari () is the physician of the devas in Hinduism. He is regarded to be an avatar of Vishnu. He is mentioned in the Puranas as the god of Ayurveda. During his incarnation on earth, he reigned as the King of Kashi, today locally refe ...


Notes

*Arnold, D. (1993) Colonizing the Body: State Medicine and Epidemic Disease in Nineteenth-Century India, Berkeley, University of California Press. *Auboyer, J. and M.T. de Mallmann (1950). ‘Śītalā-la-froide: déesse indienne de la petite vérole’, Artibus Asiae, 13(3): 207-227. *Bang, B.G. (1973). ‘Current concepts of the smallpox goddess Śītalā in West Bengal’, Man in India, 53(1):79-104. *Kinsley, D. ''Hindu Goddesses: Visions of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Tradition'' *Dimock, E.C. Jr. (1982) ‘A Theology of the Repulsive: The Myth of the Goddess Śītalā’, in J.S. Hawley and D.M. Wulff (eds), The Divine Consort: Rādhā and the Goddesses of India, Berkeley, University of California Press, 184-203 *Ferrari, Fabrizio M. (2009). “Old rituals for new threats. The post-smallpox career of Sitala, the cold mother of Bengal”. In Brosius, C. & U. Hüsken (eds.), Ritual Matters, London & New York, Routledge, pp. 144–171. *Ferrari, Fabrizio M. (2015). Religion, Devotion and Medicine in North India. The Healing Power of Śītalā. London: Bloomsbury. *Inhorn, M.C. and P.J. Brown (eds) (2005). The Anthropology of Infectious Disease. International Health Perspectives, Amsterdam, Routledge. *Junghare, I.Y. (1975) ‘Songs of the Goddess Shitala: Religio-cultural and Linguistic Features’, Man in India, 55(4): 298-316. *Katyal, A. and N. Kishore (2001) ‘Performing the goddess: sacred ritual into professional performance’, The Drama Review, 45(1), 96-117. *Kolenda, P. (1982) ‘Pox and the Terror of Childlessness: Images and Ideas of the Smallpox Goddess in a North Indian Village’, in J.J. Preston (ed.), Mother Worship, Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina Press, 227-250 *Mukhopadhyay, S.K. (1994) Cult of Goddess Śītalā in Bengal: An Enquiry into Folk Culture, Calcutta, Firma KLM. *Nicholas, R. (2003). Fruits of Worship. Practical Religion in Bengal, Chronicle Books, New Delhi. *Stewart, T.K. (1995) ‘Encountering the Smallpox Goddess: The Auspicious Song of Śītalā’, in D.S. Lopez, Jr. (ed.), Religious of India in Practice, Princeton, Princeton University Press, 389-397. *Wadley, S.S. (1980) ‘Śītalā: The Cool One’, Asian Folklore Studies, 39: 33-62.


References

{{Authority control Hindu goddesses Mother goddesses Plague gods Smallpox deities Hindu folk deities Vajrayana and women