Pidari () is a
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 ...
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 ...
deity. She is regarded to be one of the nine aspects of
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 ...
(Navashakti), who are the consorts of the
Trimurti
The Trimurti ( /t̪ɾimʊɾt̪iː/) is the triple deity of supreme divinity in Hinduism, in which the cosmic functions of creation, preservation, and destruction are personified as a triad of deities. Typically, the designations are that ...
in local tradition. In some traditions, she is depicted to be a snake-catcher, and a consort of
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 ...
.
Iconography
This village goddess possesses most of the attributes of Kali. Her attributes are the cup, fire, noose, and trident. She may also have snakes coiled around her breasts.
She may be represented by a stone. Temples that venerate her do so under the name of Pidari Amman.
Legend
Pidari, along with her other members of the Navashakti, were once glorious, but their arrogance caused them to be banished to the earth. They were offered the task of overseeing the affairs of human beings and protecting them, which they undertook. This caused them to be venerated by the rural folk who celebrated festivals in their honour, and hence they became
gramadevatas.
Cult
The
cult
Cults are social groups which have unusual, and often extreme, religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals. Extreme devotion to a particular person, object, or goal is another characteristic often ascribed to cults. The term ...
of Pitari evolved as a synthesis of the native mother goddess with an aspect of the goddess
Kali
Kali (; , ), also called Kalika, is a major goddess in Hinduism, primarily associated with time, death and destruction. Kali is also connected with transcendental knowledge and is the first of the ten Mahavidyas, a group of goddesses who p ...
, and is invoked in many villages to ward off evil and demons. The cult was featured in regional literature by the seventh century CE, and was primarily centered in Tamil Nadu. Her cult moved on, and reached a climax in eastern India between the eighth and twelfth centuries.
See also
*
Isakki
Isakki (Tamil: இசக்கி), also called Isakki Amman, Esakki, Esakki Amman is a folk Hindu goddess. The term Isakki derived from the Sanskrit yakshi, through the Prakrit ''yakki''. Her veneration remains popular among certain Hindu comm ...
*
Sudalai Madan
Sudalai Madan (IAST: ) is a rural Dravidian folk religion deity worshipped predominantly in South India, particularly in the districts of Thoothukudi district, Thoothukudi, Virudhunagar district, Virudhunagar, Tirunelveli district, Tirunelveli ...
*
Shitala
Shitala (, International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ) , also spelled as Sheetala, śītalā and Seetla, is a Hindu goddess venerated primarily in North India. She is regarded to be an incarnation of the goddess Parvati. She is b ...
References
Bibliography
* Jordan, Michael, ''Encyclopedia of Gods'', New York, Facts On File, Inc. 1993, p. 205
Tamil deities
Regional Hindu goddesses
{{Hindu-myth-stub