Jumadi is an

androgynous Androgyny is the possession of both masculine and feminine characteristics. Androgyny may be expressed with regard to biological sex or gender expression. When ''androgyny'' refers to mixed biological sex characteristics in humans, it often r ...

deity worshipped in the

Buta Kola Būta Kōlā,/buːt̪ʌ/ is the local pronunciation while the standardised Sanskrit+Tulu pronunciation is /bʱuːt̪ʌ koːlɑː/ also referred to as Daiva Kōlā or Daiva Nēmā, is a shamanistic Hindu dance performance practised, believed a ...

folk tradition. The Buta Kola is popular among the

Tuluva The Tulu people or Tuluvas are an ethno-linguistic and ethno-cultural group from Southern India. They are native speakers of the Tulu language and the region they traditionally inhabit is known as Tulu Nadu. This region comprises the districts ...

ethnic people in the coastal districts of

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

History

Jumadi is considered a deity of heavenly origin who descends to the

Tulunadu Tulu Nadu, or Tulunad, is a region and proposed state on the southwestern coast of India. The Tulu people, known as 'Tuluva' (pl. 'Tuluver') are speakers of Tulu, a Dravidian language, and are the predominant ethnic group of the region. Sou ...

region to receive worship from the people. The various myths prevalent in the region describe the deity's insatiable thirst The myths pertaining to Jumadi are oral in nature and are recorded in distinctive Tulu folk songs called

paddanas Būta Kōlā,/buːt̪ʌ/ is the local pronunciation while the standardised Sanskrit+Tulu pronunciation is /bʱuːt̪ʌ koːlɑː/ also referred to as Daiva Kōlā or Daiva Nēmā, is a shamanistic Hindu dance performance practised, believed a ...

. The paddanas record the various adventures and legends of the deity. They also record the various forms and names of the deity such as Kanteri Jumadi (Jumadi worshipped by the Bunt feudal lords, Kantanna Adhikari and Devu Poonja), Marlu Jumadi (the wild form of the princely Jumadi), and Sarala Jumadi (Jumadi worshipped by a thousand households). The legend of Jumadi describes a man-eating

asura Asuras () are a class of beings in Indian religions, and later Persian and Turkic mythology. They are described as power-seeking beings related to the more benevolent Devas (also known as Suras) in Hinduism. In its Buddhist context, the wor ...

with insatiable thirst named Dhumasura, who had a boon by which neither a man nor a woman could kill him.

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

and

Parvati Parvati (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, pɑɾʋət̪iː/), also known as Uma (, , IPA: Sanskrit phonology, /ʊmɑː/) and Gauri (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, gə͡ʊɾiː/), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the Devi, ...

were invoked by their adherents, who then descended from

Kailasha Kailasha or Kailasa () is the celestial abode of the Hindu god Shiva. It is traditionally recognized as a mountain where Shiva resides along with his consort Parvati, and their children, Ganesha and Kartikeya. Mount Kailash, located in the Trans ...

to slay the asura. On their way, Parvati felt hungry, and Shiva tried to satisfy her through various means, but she remained unsatiated. At last, Shiva offered himself, and ordered Parvati to swallow him. As Parvati swallowed him, Shiva's head did not pass beyond his consort's throat. Their bodies fused, in which the face of Shiva appeared with a moustache, below which was the neck and the body of Parvati. The deity's throat featured the

lingam A lingam ( , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or Aniconism, aniconic representation of the Hinduism, Hindu Hindu deities, god Shiva in Shaivism. The word ''lingam'' is found in the Up ...

and wore a crown of nagas (snakes). This androgynous form of Shiva and Parvati slew Dhumasura in battle, because of which the deity received the epithet Dhumavati (not to be confused with the

Mahavidya The ''Mahavidya'' (, , lit. ''Great Wisdoms'') are a group of ten Hindu Tantric goddesses. The ten Mahavidyas are usually named in the following sequence: Kali, Tara, Tripura Sundari, Bhuvaneshvari, Bhairavi, Chhinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bag ...

goddess

Dhumavati Dhumavati (, , literally "the smoky one") is one of the Mahavidyas, a group of ten Hindu Tantric goddesses. Dhumavati represents the fearsome aspect of Mahadevi, the supreme goddess in Hindu traditions such as Shaktism. She is often portrayed a ...

References

{{Culture of Tulunadu Culture of Tulu Nadu Indian deities Androgynous and hermaphroditic deities

History

See also

References