Maisamma ( te, మైసమ్మ), also known as Mesai ( mr, मेसाई) and additionally spelt Mesko (

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

: मेस्को), Amma in Telugu or Aai in Marathi ( te, అమ్మ mr, आई, "mother") is a

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

folk goddess. She is mainly worshipped as a

South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territ ...

n mother goddess, predominantly in the rural areas of

Telangana Telangana (; , ) is a state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the eleventh-largest state and the twelfth-most populated state in India with a geographical area of and 3 ...

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

and Maharashtra. She is believed to protect the cattle. Among the cattle sheds, a niche is white-washed and decorated with "Kukuma" and called "Maisamma Goodu". In many places Katta-Maisamma is also workshiped as a goddess of water and is workshiped in the form of a small stone on the tank bund. People believe that she will ensure that the tank is full. Thus, the corps would flourish due to her blessings. Her worship is mainly associated with curing diseases such as

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

and chickenpox.

Notes

Regional Hindu gods Hindu folk deities Health goddesses Hindu goddesses Mother goddesses Smallpox deities {{hindu-myth-stub