Jwalamalini (,, ) is the

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 ...

(guardian goddess) of the eighth

tirthankara In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (; ) is a saviour and supreme preacher of the ''Dharma (Jainism), dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a ''Tirtha (Jainism), tirtha'', a fordable passage across ''Saṃsā ...

Chandraprabhu in

Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its s ...

and was one of the most widely invoked yakshinis in

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 ...

during the early medieval period.

Etymology and origin

' refers to ''the glow of fire'', ' implies ''one of bears the garlands (of)''. A well known historical text ''Jwalamalini Kalpa'' was composed by Jain Acharya Indranandi in 939 AD in Manyakheta during the rule of

Rashtrakuta The Rashtrakuta Empire was a royal Indian polity ruling large parts of the Indian subcontinent between the 6th and 10th centuries. The earliest known Rashtrakuta inscription is a 7th-century copper plate grant detailing their rule from Manapu ...

Krishnaraj. It is said to be inspired by an older text by the monk Helacharya, who had vanquished a Brahma Rakshasa by invoking Jwalamalini. Jain literature describe Jwalamalini as or the fire goddess. Her iconic forms depict her with flames issuing forth from her head. She is also described as adorned with rising flames of fire. Jwalamalini also appears in various

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 ...

Purana Puranas (Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature
(1995 Editio ...

s, the ''

Vayu Purana The ''Vayu Purana'' (, ) is a Sanskrit text and one of the eighteen major Puranas of Hinduism. ''Vayu Purana'' is mentioned in the manuscripts of the Mahabharata and other Hindu texts, which has led scholars to propose that the text is among the ...

'' associates her with the god

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 ...

; the ''

Brahmanda Purana The ''Brahmanda Purana'' () is a Sanskrit text and one of the eighteen major Puranas, a genre of Hindu texts. It is listed as the eighteenth Maha-Purana in almost all the anthologies. The text is also referred in medieval Indian literature as th ...

'' and the ''

Matsya Purana The ''Matsya Purana'' (IAST: Matsya Purāṇa) is one of the eighteen major Puranas (Mahapurana), and among the oldest and better preserved in the Puranic genre of Sanskrit literature in Hinduism. The text is a Vaishnavism text named after the h ...

'' associate her with

Shakti Shakti (Devanagari: शक्ति, IAST: Śakti; 'energy, ability, strength, effort, power, might, capability') in Hinduism, is the "Universal Power" that underlies and sustains all existence. Conceived as feminine in essence, Shakti refer ...

Worship

As per the ', a cult in the honour of Jwalamalini was started by Helacharya, a Jain Tantric teacher of the ''Dravida gana'' monastic order. The goddess is said to have Helacharya to systematize the occult rites sacred to her. Inscriptions also record that exorcising rites were performed in her honour. A prominent temple of the goddess is

Jwalamalini temple Shri Atishaya Kshetra Simhanagadde Jwala Malini Digambar Jain Temple or Atishaya Shri Kshetra Simhanagadde is a famous Jain temple in Narasimharajapura of Chikmagalur district in Karnataka. About temple The temple is considered one of the ma ...

, Narsimharajapur in

Chikmagalur district Chikmagalur, officially Chikkamagaluru () is an administrative district in the Malnad subregion of Karnataka, India. It was called Kadur (''Cuddoor'') district till 1947. Coffee was first cultivated in India in Chikmagalur. The hills of Chikm ...

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 ...

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

The place where Helacharya propounded his system is described as ''Malaya Hemagrama'' in the south identifiable with Maleyur in the Chamrajnagar

Taluk A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administrative ...

of the Mysore district in Karnataka. As described in an inscription dated 909 CE this place is holy to the Jain disciples. The inscription also registers a grant in the favor of a Jain temple. Nittur, Thumkur district also hosts an ancient Jwalamalini temple. Ponnur Malai Jain temple in the state 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 ...

is also associated with the worship of Jwalamalini.

External links

Jain Tirthas

Jwalamalini Mantra Sadhana

Citations and references

{{Jainism Topics Jain minor deities Chandraprabha