Badi Mata

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Badi Mata/Chamariya Mata [1] [2] [3] is a Hindu goddess of disease, one of a group of seven sister goddesses with similar associations. Chamariya Mata/Badi Mata is doubtless allied to Chamars. [3] [2] [1] Badi Mata is worshipped by some tribes in India, such as the Saharia, Chamar and the Kamar. [4] [5] Her worshippers believe that her wrath causes people to suffer from smallpox. [5] The worshippers sacrifice goats to appease her. [4]

Badi Mata's sisters were Sitala Mata, Phul Mata, Pansahi Mata, Gusulia Mata, Kankar Mata, and Malbal. [6] She was also associated with Choti Mata, who is associated with chicken pox, and Sendri Mata who is associated with measles. [7]

References

  1. 1 2 Reddy, Prof Katta Narasimha; Reddy, Prof E. Siva Nagi; Naik, Prof K. Krishna (31 January 2023). Kalyana Mitra: Volume 10. Blue Rose Publishers.
  2. 1 2 Ferrari, Fabrizio M. (20 November 2014). Religion, Devotion and Medicine in North India: The Healing Power of Sitala. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN   978-1-4725-9872-1.
  3. 1 2 Zeitschrift für Ethnologie (in German). 1905.
  4. 1 2 Awadesh N. Sharma; Rajesh K. Gautam; Ajay K. Gharami (1 January 2006). Indigenous Health Care and Ethno-medicine. Sarup & Sons. pp. 251–253. ISBN   978-81-7625-724-4.
  5. 1 2 Georg Pfeffer; Deepak Kumar Behera (1997). Contemporary Society: Tribal situation in India. Concept Publishing Company. p. 281. ISBN   978-81-7022-984-1 . Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  6. ↑ Commissioner, India Census (1902). Census of India, 1901.
  7. ↑ Sanjay Sharma (25 April 2013). Baid, Hakim & Doctors: The Medicine Heritage of India. Leadstart Publishing Pvt Ltd. p. 72. ISBN   978-93-81576-48-9.


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