Chelamma, 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 ...
goddess of the Southern
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 ...
region of
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
.
Chelamma is a
Scorpion goddess and is worshipped along with
Kolaramma
Kolaramma is the presiding deity of the town of Kolar in Karnataka, India. The Kolaramma temple is thousand years old and built by the Chola Rulers, Cholas in the South Indian style. Goddess Parvathi is worshipped as Kolaramma by the people of Ko ...
in
Kolar
Kolar or Kolara is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Kolar district. The city is known for its milk production and gold mines. It is also known for Someshwara temple and Kolaramma temple.
History
The Weste ...
.
Followers believe that by praying at the Chelamma shrine a person will be guarded from scorpion bites and dreaded virus by the deity. There is an ancient
hundi which is carved down into the ground and people have been putting the gifts or
Kanike in it from the past 1,000 years and no one has ever opened it.
Legend
A legend is a Folklore genre, genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human valu ...
has it that it contains precious stones and
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
coins of bygone times.
The name includes the suffix "amma" which is a common suffix for most South Indian female goddesses. (See
Amman
Amman (; ar, عَمَّان, ' ; Ammonite language, Ammonite: 𐤓𐤁𐤕 𐤏𐤌𐤍 ''Rabat ʻAmān'') is the capital and largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of 4,061,150 a ...
)
External links
Temples of Kolar
Hindu goddesses
{{Hindu-myth-stub