Isakki (

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

: இசக்கி), also called Isakki Amman, Esakki, Esakki Amman is a folk

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

goddess. The term Isakki derived from the Sanskrit

yakshi Yakshinis or Yakshis (, , Prakrit: ) are a class of female nature spirits in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain religious mythologies that are different from Devas and Asuras and Gandharvas or Apsaras. Yakshinis and their male counterparts, the Yaks ...

, through the

Prakrit Prakrit ( ) is a group of vernacular classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages that were used in the Indian subcontinent from around the 5th century BCE to the 12th century CE. The term Prakrit is usually applied to the middle period of Middle Ind ...

''yakki''. Her veneration remains popular among certain Hindu communities in the southern Indian districts of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

,Tisak Kiamman, A aprotector of Ecology and Culture of Kanyakumari
/ref> specifically the

Kanyakumari Kanyakumari (Tamil; / kəɳjɑkʊmɑɾiː/; referring to Devi Kanya Kumari, officially known as Kanniyakumari, formerly known as Cape Comorin) is a town and a municipality in Kanyakumari district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is the ...

, Tirunelveli, and Salem districts. She is generally considered to be one of the 'village deities' (''kaval deivam''). Village deities like her are believed to act as guardian spirits.

Iconography

Isakki is usually portrayed as a young woman wearing a red dress. She is usually represented by holding a child in one hand and a trident in the other. She is also sometimes represented as standing above a man who lies on the ground.The Classical Period of Indian Art :Gupta Art http://www.indianartcircle.com/arteducation/page_7_gupta.shtml Isakki corresponds to the Jain

Yakshini Yakshinis or Yakshis (, , Prakrit languages, Prakrit: ) are a class of female nature spirits in Hinduism, Hindu, Buddhism, Buddhist, and Jainism, Jain religious mythologies that are different from Hindu deities, Devas and Asuras and Gandharva ...

Ambika, who is always represented together with one or two children under a tree.Inscribed stele with the yakshi Ambika https://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/asia/i/inscribed_stele_with_the_yaksh.aspx

Legend

The most common legend associated with Isakki is as follows: Ambika, a housewife, was leading a peaceful family life with her husband Somasharman and their two sons. One day, the tarpanam ritual had to be performed for the ancestors of their family, and all the items were duly prepared. However, while Somasharman was away to bathe in the river, Ambika offered food to a starving sage, who begged for it. Somasharman became enraged that the food for the ritual offering had been served to the sage before the necessary rites and

pujas () is a worship ritual performed by Hindus to offer devotional homage and prayer to one or more deities, to host and honour a guest, or to spiritually celebrate an event. It may honour or celebrate the presence of special guests, or their mem ...

, and he chased Ambika and her children away from home. Ambika wandered until she found a calm place to rest. Realising his foolishness later, Somasharman went in to search his wife and children, but fearing him, Ambika gave up her life. After her unfortunate death, it is believed that she took the form of a

yakshini Yakshinis or Yakshis (, , Prakrit languages, Prakrit: ) are a class of female nature spirits in Hinduism, Hindu, Buddhism, Buddhist, and Jainism, Jain religious mythologies that are different from Hindu deities, Devas and Asuras and Gandharva ...

, although she still wanted to take care of her growing children. Later, she was able to regain her life for the benefit of her offspring. In doing so, Ambika became the goddess Isakki.

Shrines

Unlike the temples of the Vedic deities, temples dedicated to Isakki are usually humble shrines, decorated with a

cactus A cactus (: cacti, cactuses, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae (), a family of the order Caryophyllales comprising about 127 genera with some 1,750 known species. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, ...

-like plant known as ''paalkalli'' in Tamil. When it is damaged, these cacti ooze a milk-like

sap Sap is a fluid transported in the xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant. Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a s ...

which is considered to be a sign of the goddess Isakki. Isakki temples usually have a

Banyan A banyan, also spelled banian ( ), is a fig that develops accessory trunks from adjacent prop roots, allowing the tree to spread outwards indefinitely. This distinguishes banyans from other trees with a strangler habit that begin life as ...

or a

bo tree ''Ficus religiosa'' or sacred fig is a species of fig native to the Indian subcontinent and Indochina that belongs to Moraceae, the fig or mulberry family. It is also known as the bodhi tree, bo tree, peepul tree, peepal tree, pipala tree or ...

located close to the shrine. Women who wish to have children often place small wooden cribs and/or tie pieces of their

sari A sari (also called sharee, saree or sadi)The name of the garment in various regional languages include: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * is a drape (cloth) and a women's garment in the Indian subcontinent. It consists of an un-sti ...

s to the branches or the visible roots of the tree as an offering.

Festivals

Isakki Amman is associated with popular festivals that involve cooking food at the shrine and the dedication of large terracotta figures of the goddess (3 to 4 ft in height) painted in bright colors. During the festival, the deities are anointed with water, coconut milk, rosewater, honey or oil twice a day. These figures are sometimes smeared with a liquid made from mixing

lime Lime most commonly refers to: * Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit * Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide * Lime (color), a color between yellow and green Lime may also refer to: Bo ...

, water, and

turmeric Turmeric (), or ''Curcuma longa'' (), is a flowering plant in the ginger family Zingiberaceae. It is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia that requires temperatures between and high ...

(which ritually represents blood). The goddess is then offered rice, cake, fruit, milk while the presiding priest chants prayers. At the end of the ceremony and festival, the food is removed from the shrine.

References

*Kalpana Ram; Mukkuvar Women. *

Xavier Romero-Frias Xavier or Xabier may refer to: Place * Xavier, Spain People * Xavier (surname) * Xavier (given name) * Francis Xavier (1506–1552), Catholic saint ** St. Francis Xavier (disambiguation) * St. Xavier (disambiguation) * Xavier (footballer, born ...

, The Maldive Islanders, A Study of the Popular Culture of an Ancient Ocean Kingdom. Barcelona 1999. *Tiwari, M.N.P. (1989). ''Ambika in Jaina arts and literature'', New Delhi: Bharatiya Jnanpith.

External links