Angala Paramesvari Amman | |
---|---|
Other names |
|
Venerated in | Tamil Diaspora in Tamil Nadu, Fiji, Caribbean Tamil Communities, South Africa, Mauritius, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam, Trinidad & Tobago Karnataka .keshu |
Affiliation | Shaktism, Parvati |
Abode | Mel Malayanoor |
Weapon | |
Mount | Lion |
Temples |
|
Consort | Shiva [1] |
Angala Devi, also known as Angalamman and Angala Paramesvari, is an aspect of the Hindu goddess Parvati, primarily worshipped in the villages of South India as a kaval deivam, a guardian deity. She is often additionally considered to be an aspect of one of the Matrikas. [2]
Angalamman is a manifestation of Goddess Parvati. This manifestation of Mother Goddess is more popular in South India. This is a fierce form of Goddess Shakti and she is also a guardian deity in many villages.
It is stated that Goddess Parvati took the form of Angala Amman to help Shiva rid of the Kapala that was following Him after He cut off the fifth head of Brahma.
Legend has it that Shiva took the form of Bhairava and cut off the fifth head of Brahma for being arrogant about His creation. Brahma had no remorse about the suffering that living beings had on earth.
But soon Shiva felt remorse and for redemption of the sin, Brahma asked Shiva to become a wandering ascetic (Bhikshatana) and beg for food in a skull.
As per the story of Angalamman, the fifth head started following Shiva. The head made his home in the arm of Shiva and started eating whatever Shiva received from begging.
Goddess Parvati decided to put an end to the Kapala. On advice of Vishnu, she prepared food for Shiva at Thandakarunyam Tirth near Angikula Tirtham. Shiva came to eat the food. Goddess Parvati intentionally scattered food around the place and Kapala came down to eat them leaving the hand of Shiva. Goddess Parvati seized this opportunity and took the fierce form of Angalamman and stamped down the Kapala using her right leg.
The most famous temple dedicated to Angalamman is the Sri Angala Parameswari Temple at Melmalayanur in Gingee Taluk in Villupuram District in Tamil Nadu.
Parvati, also known as Uma and Gauri, is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. Along with Lakshmi and Sarasvati, she forms the trinity, known as the Tridevi.
Chamunda, also known as Chamundeshwari, Chamundi or Charchika, is a fearsome form of Chandi, the Hindu mother goddess, Mahadevi and is one of the seven Matrikas.
The Kapaleeshwarar Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Shiva located in Mylapore, Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The temple was built around the 7th century CE and is an example of South Indian Architecture.
Bhairava, or Kala Bhairava, is a Shaivite and Vajrayāna deity worshipped by Hindus and Buddhists. In Shaivism, he is a powerful manifestation, or avatar, of Shiva. In the tradition of Kashmir Shaivism, Bhairava represents the Supreme Reality, synonymous to Para Brahman. Generally in Hinduism, Bhairava is also called Dandapani, as he holds a rod or danda to punish sinners, and Svaśva, meaning, "he whose vehicle is a dog". In Vajrayana Buddhism, he is considered a fierce emanation of boddhisatva Mañjuśrī, and also called Heruka, Vajrabhairava, Mahākāla and Yamantaka.
Karthika Deepam is a Hindu festival of lights. It is mainly observed mainly by Tamils in India, Sri Lanka and other regions with significant Tamil diaspora. The festival is celebrated on the first full moon day of the month of Kartika coinciding with Kṛttikā nakshatra, falling on the Gregorian months of November or December. Though it corresponds to the Kartik Purnima, it falls on a different day due to the correction of equinoxes in the Tamil calendar. The festival is associated with Shaivism, is celebrated to commemorate the origin of Kartikeya, the Hindu god of war, and Shiva's manifestation as Jyotirlinga. In Kerala, it is celebrated as Thrikarthika, in honour of goddess Parvati.
The Shakta pithas, Shakti pithas or Sati pithas are significant shrines and pilgrimage destinations in Shaktism, the mother goddess denomination in Hinduism. The shrines are dedicated to various forms of Adi Shakti. Various Puranas such as Srimad Devi Bhagavatam state the existence of a varying number of 51, 52, 64 and 108 Shakta pithas of which 18 are named as Astadasha Maha (major) in medieval Hindu texts.
Matrikas (Sanskrit: मातृका (singular), IAST: mātṝkā, lit. "mothers") also called Matar or Matri, are a group of mother goddesses who are always depicted together in Hinduism. The Matrikas are often depicted in a group of seven, the Saptamatrika(s) (Seven Mothers). However, they are also depicted as a group of eight, the Ashtamatrika(s). In the Brihat Samhita, Varahamihira says that "Mothers are to be made with cognizance of (different major Hindu) gods corresponding to their names." They are associated with these gods as their spouses or their energies (Shaktis). Brahmani emerged from Brahma, Vaishnavi from Vishnu, Maheshvari from Shiva, Indrani from Indra, Kaumari from Kartikeya, Varahi from Varaha and Chamunda from Chandi. and additionals are Narasimhi from Narasimha and Vinayaki from Ganesha.
The Annapoorneshwari Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the goddess Annapoorneshwari (Annapoorna), located at Horanadu, Karnataka, India, 100 km from Chikmagalur in the thick forests and valleys of the Western Ghats of Karnataka. It is situated on the banks of river Bhadra.
Tamil mythology refers to the folklore and traditions that are a part of the wider Dravidian pantheon, originating from the Tamil people. This body of mythology is a fusion of elements from Dravidian culture and the parent Indus Valley culture, both of which have been syncretised with mainstream Hinduism.
Annapurna, Annapurneshwari, Annada or Annapoorna is a manifestation of Parvati and is known as the Hindu goddess of food and feeding. Worship and offering of food are highly praised in Hinduism, and therefore, the goddess Annapurna is regarded as a popular deity. She is a manifestation of the goddess Parvati, the paredra of Shiva, and is eulogized in the Annada Mangal, a narrative poem in Bengali by Bharatchandra Ray. The Annapurna Sahasranam is dedicated to the goddess and praises her one thousand names, while the Annapurna Shatanama Stotram is dedicated to her 108 names.
Devī is the Sanskrit word for 'goddess'; the masculine form is deva. Devi and deva mean 'heavenly, divine, anything of excellence', and are also gender-specific terms for a deity in Hinduism.
Varahi is one of the Matrikas, a group of seven mother goddesses in the Hindu religion who bears the head of a sow. In Nepal, she is called Barahi. In Rajasthan and Gujarat, she is venerated as Dandini.
Bhikshatana or Bhikshatana-murti is an aspect of the Hindu god Shiva as the "Supreme mendicant" or the "Supreme Beggar". Bhikshtana is depicted as a nude four-armed man adorned with ornaments who holds a begging bowl in his hand and is followed by demonic attendants and love-sick women.
Ekapada is the one-footed aspect of the Hindu god Shiva. This form is primarily found in South India and Orissa, but also occasionally in Rajasthan and Nepal.
Bhairava Ashtami, also known as Bhairavashtami, Bhairava Jayanti, Kala-Bhairava Ashtami and Kala-Bhairava Jayanti is a Hindu holy day commemorating the manifestation of the deity Bhairava, a fearsome and wrathful manifestation of the god Shiva. It falls on the eighth lunar day (ashtami) in the fortnight of the waning moon in the Hindu month of Kartika or Margashirsha. By both schemes, Bhairava Ashtami falls on the same day in November–December-January. The name Kalashtami is sometimes used to refer to this day, but might also refer to any ashtami in Krishna paksha, all of which are days sacred to Bhairava.
Poornavalli Thayar is a Hindu figure. Poornavalli, also called "Poorva Devi", means "the one who filled the grail". Lakshmi is named as Poornavalli. She is the Mother goddess, worshiped in Uthamar Kovil in Uthamar Kovil, a village in the outskirts of Tiruchirappalli in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is dedicated to the Hindu gods Vishnu, Shiva, Brahma. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the Naalayira Divya Prabandham, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Alvar saints from the 6th–9th centuries CE. It is one of the 108 Divyadesams dedicated to Vishnu and Lakshmi, where Vishnu is worshiped as Purushottama Perumal and his consort Lakshmi as Poornavalli Thayar.
Kiruthivakesvarar Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Shiva, located at Soolamangalam near Ayyampet in Thanjavur district in Tamil Nadu, India.
Mayana Kollai is a festival celebrated after Shivaratri on the first full moon day of February at the Angala Parameswari temples in Tamil Nadu, India. It is widely celebrated as Angala Parameswari Amman is the deity worshiped by the followers of Goddess Shakti in the form of Goddess MahaKali. Shakti, the formless goddess associated with creation itself was reborn as Parvati. This was when Sandobi and Sundaran, two demons, terrorized the gods and men. Brahma, the Creator god performed yagna for protection against the demons. Out of this yagna Tilottam, an apsara appeared. Attracted by her beauty, the demons and Brahma started following her. She consequently sought refuge in kailash abode of Lord Shiva, where Brahma followed her. Brahma, like Shiva, had five heads. This was the reason why Parvati mistook him for her husband and fell at his feet in an act of submission. Angered by this, Shiva in the form of rudra beheaded the fifth head of Brahma and thus invoked a curse upon himself; the curse enabled the head to remain attached to his right hand and did not allow him to eat. The head (Kabala) was consuming all the available food instead of Shiva himself. He became a mendicant and roamed Earth begging and for food, sleeping in graveyards.