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Shitala

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Sheetala)

Shitala
Goddess of Ailments[1]
The goddess Shitala on Jvarasura
AffiliationDevi
Parvati
WeaponBroom, hand fan, water pot (medicinal water for cure for diseases)
MountJvarasura (donkey)
FestivalsShitala Ashtami
ConsortShiva

Shitala (Sanskrit: शीतला, IAST: śītalā, lit. 'coolness'; also spelled as Sheetala, Śītalā and Seetla) is a Hindu goddess venerated primarily in North India.[2] She is regarded as an incarnation of the goddess Parvati and is believed to cure poxes, sores, ghouls, pustules, and diseases, and most directly linked with the disease smallpox. Shitala is worshipped on Tuesday,[3] Saptami and Ashtami (the seventh and eighth day of a Hindu month), especially after Holi during the month of Chaitra. The celebration of the goddess Shitala on the seventh and eighth day of the Hindu month is referred to as the Shitala Saptami and Shitala Ashtami, respectively.[4]

Name and variants

[edit]

In Sanskrit, the name Shitala (शीतला śītalā) literally means 'the one who cools.' An epithet of the mother goddess Devi revered in Hinduism, 'Shitala' represents the divine blessing of bestowing cool relief from the suffering of fever. The goddess Shitala is worshiped under varying names across the Indian subcontinent. Devotees most often refer to Shitala using honorific suffixes reserved for respected motherly figures, such as Shitala-Ma (Hindi: मां māṃ), Shitala-Mata (Sanskrit: माता mātā), and Shitala-Amma (Kannada: ಅಮ್ಮ am'ma). Shitala is revered by Hindus, Buddhists, and Adivasi communities.

She is mentioned in Tantric and Puranic literature, and her later appearance in vernacular texts - such as the 17th-century Bengali-language Shitala Mangal-Kāvya (lit. 'auspicious poetry of Goddess Shitala') by Manikram Gangopadhyay - has contributed to popularising her worship.[5]

In some places, like Muzaffarnagar, worshippers pray to Her using the divine epithet 'Mā Ujalī Devī' (माँ उजली देवी, 'Divine Mother of Brightness').

In addition to being addressed as 'Mother', Shitala is also revered with honorific titles such as Thakurani, Jagrani (Queen of the World), Karunamayi (She Who Is Full of Mercy), Mangala (The Auspicious One), Bhagavati (The Revered Goddess), Dayamayi (She Who Is Compassionate, Full of Grace, and Kindness).[6]

In South India, Shitala is revered as the goddess incarnate Mariamman, widely worshipped by various communities.

Mythology

[edit]

The deity is typically depicted as a mother who defends children from paediatric ailments, such as exanthemata and smallpox. She provides coolness to feverish patients and also serves as a fertility goddess that assists women in finding good husbands and conceiving healthy children. Her auspicious presence promises the welfare of the family and is considered to protect the devotee's sources of livelihood. Shitala is also summoned to ensure refreshing rainfall and the prevention of famines, droughts, and cattle diseases.[7]

Some 16th-century copies of the Skanda Purana's Kāśī Khaṇḍa section on Varanasi describe Shitala curing ailments like smallpox pustules:[8]

For the sake of quelling boils and blisters (of smallpox) and for the sake of the children, a devotee takes Masūra lentils by measures and grinds them. Due to the power of Śītalā, children become free from the disease.

— Skanda Purana, Chapter 12

The earliest Bengali language poems on Shitala were composed in Saptagram in 1690. 18th-century compositions from Midnapore, West Bengal led to Shitala's increasing prominence in religious worship. During this period, conflicts between the Maratha Empire and British East India Company led to famines that increased the mortality of smallpox cases.[9]

Shitala is traditionally identified as an aspect of goddess Parvati (or Durga), the divine consort of lord Shiva and is often seen as a form of goddess Katyayani (the sixth form of goddess Durga). According to the Devi Mahatmyam, when an asura named Jvarasura gave bacterial fever to all the children, the goddess Katyayani arrived in her avatar of Shitala to purify the children's blood by ridding them of the fever-causing bacteria, and vanquishing the evil Jvarasura. In Sanskrit jvara means 'fever', and shītala means 'coolness'. In Bengal, other deities often worshiped alongside Shitala include Ghentu-devata, the god of skin diseases; Raktavati, the goddess of blood infections and the sixty-four epidemics; and Oladevi, a cholera-associated disease goddess.[10]

Shitala is sometimes also depicted as having six sisters,[11] and at other times as the eldest of eight sisters,[12] all of whom cause pustular diseases and are venerated for recovery. The sisters are: Masani, Basanti, Maha Mai, Polamde, Lamkaria, and Agwani. Another tradition names the sisters as Phulmati Mata, Chamariya Mata, Durga-Kali, Maha Kali, Bhadra Kali, and Kalika Bhavani.[13][14][15] Shitala and her sisters are said reside in the trees of the neem (Azadirachta indica), kikar (Acacia arabica) or jand (Prosopis cineraria).

Shitala is historically understood as causing smallpox among non-believers, providing them an opportunity for reflection. Based on her religious role of healing those that make offerings to others recovering from illness, the World Health Organization's efforts to distribute smallpox vaccines initially faced resistance as local people saw vaccination as an attempt by Western science to circumvent Hindu religious order. To combat this perception, the international Smallpox Eradication Program (SEP) produced posters depicting Shitala with a vaccination needle to reinterpret immunization as derived from Shitala's power.[16]

Shitala Puja

[edit]
Shitala puja

Shitala may be worshiped at any time of the year. However, the annual period of worship is the month of Chaitra (March–April as per the Hindu calendar) on Shitala Ashtami as established by Raghunandana because the long, dry nights are associated with deaths from smallpox.[9] Generally, she is worshiped early in the mornings of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The month of Chaitra is important as it is the season in which wheat ripens. Also, the season is of Basant (spring). One of Shitala's name is Basanti and therefore, she represents the negative side of Basant and is therefore worshiped.[11]

Shitala is primarily worshiped by women. There are many arti sangrah and stutis for the puja of Shitala. Some of them are "Shri Shitla Mata Chalisa", "Shitala Maa Ki Arti", and "Shri Shitala Mata Ashtak".

According to common belief, many families do not light their stoves on the Ashtami/Saptami day, and all devotees cheerfully eat cold food (cooked the previous night) in the form of prasada. The idea behind this is that as spring fades and summer approaches, cold food should be avoided.[17]

She is also closely associated with the neem tree - the leaves and flowers of which are used as naivedya (sacred offerings) at her shrines and temples.

Iconography and symbolism

[edit]
Image of Shitala
Indian goddess Sitala seated on a donkey

Shitala is traditionally represented as a young maiden crowned with a winnowing fan, riding a donkey, a snake as a whip, and holding a short broom to spread the content of her pot full of viral pustules or cold water of immortality. She is also depicted enthroned in an eight-handed form holding a trishula (trident), broom, chakra (discus), branches of neem, scimitar, conch and a hand depicting varadamudra. She is also flanked by two donkeys. This depiction has established her as a goddess of protection, good fortune, health, and power.

Notably, references to neem leaves are ubiquitous in Shitala's liturgy and also appear in her iconography, suggesting an early understanding of neem as a medicinal plant. Moreover, neem leaves are extensively mentioned in the Sushruta Samhita, where it is listed as an effective antipyretic, as well as a remedy for certain inflammatory skin conditions.[11]

In North Indian iconography, Shitala is often depicted with Jvarasura as her eternal servant.

Buddhism

[edit]

In Buddhist legends, Jvarasura and Shitala are depicted sometimes as companions of Paranasabari, the Buddhist goddess of diseases. Jvarasura and Shitala are shown escorting her to her right and left side, respectively.[18]

Temples and shrines in India

[edit]

Haryana

[edit]

At the Sheetla Mata Mandir Gurgaon in Gurgaon, Haryana, she is worshipped as the Kripi (the wife of Drona).[19]

Punjab

[edit]
Photograph of the seven shrines of the Sapta Matas, including Shitala, printed in 'Customs of the World' (1913)

In Punjab, the shrines of the sisters of Shitla are called "matya".[20] There shrines cluster around the central shrine of Shitala. One of them is called Paharwali or of the mountain.[11]

The shrines are situated on the banks of ponds. The shrine itself are made of some bricks and have no regular priests.

The most important shrines at which large annual fairs are held are at the shrines of Seel village in Patiala and at the shrine of Jarg[21] village in Pail tehsil, Ludhiana district.[11]

Jarag fair is one of the important fairs of Punjab that is held in Jarg. The fair is also known as Baheria Fair. It is organised in the month of Chaitra, in the honor of Shitala. On the day of the fair, the devotees of Shitala gather near the pond and scoop a portion of the earth to form a mound. The mound is revered as the shrine of the goddess.[21]

Prayers and pujas are conducted at the Jarg fair. Sweet gulgula (jaggery cakes) are made one day prior to the fair and offered to the goddess on the day of fair. The sweets are then offered to the donkeys, which are the favorite of the goddess. Donkeys are specially decorated for the occasion, with potters cladding them in attractive colorful blankets. Some even put bells or conch shells and beads around their neck.[21]

Temporary stalls are set up and the fair hosts cultural programmes.[21]

Uttar Pradesh

[edit]

In Uttar Pradesh, Shitala Devi's worship is especially popular among Chamar and Jatav communities.[22]

List

[edit]
Shitala Makara Dham (Tilochan Mahadev, Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, India)
Interior of the Shitala temple at Bidhan Sarani in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

Some of the notable temples:

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  • Arnold, D. (1993) Colonizing the Body: State Medicine and Epidemic Disease in Nineteenth-Century India, Berkeley, University of California Press.
  • Auboyer, J. and M.T. de Mallmann (1950). ‘Śītalā-la-froide: déesse indienne de la petite vérole’, Artibus Asiae, 13(3): 207–227.
  • Bang, B.G. (1973). 'Current concepts of the smallpox goddess Śītalā in West Bengal', Man in India, 53(1):79–104.
  • Kinsley, D. Hindu Goddesses: Visions of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Tradition
  • Dimock, E.C. Jr. (1982) 'A Theology of the Repulsive: The Myth of the Goddess Śītalā', in J.S. Hawley and D.M. Wulff (eds), The Divine Consort: Rādhā and the Goddesses of India, Berkeley, University of California Press, 184–203
  • Ferrari, Fabrizio M. (2009). "Old rituals for new threats. The post-smallpox career of Sitala, the cold mother of Bengal". In Brosius, C. & U. Hüsken (eds.), Ritual Matters, London & New York, Routledge, pp. 144–171.
  • Ferrari, Fabrizio M. (2015). Religion, Devotion and Medicine in North India. The Healing Power of Śītalā. London: Bloomsbury.
  • Inhorn, M.C. and P.J. Brown (eds) (2005). The Anthropology of Infectious Disease. International Health Perspectives, Amsterdam, Routledge.
  • Junghare, I.Y. (1975) 'Songs of the Goddess Shitala: Religio-cultural and Linguistic Features', Man in India, 55(4): 298–316.
  • Katyal, A.; N. Kishore (2001) 'Performing the goddess: sacred ritual into professional performance', The Drama Review, 45(1), 96–117.
  • Kolenda, P. (1982) 'Pox and the Terror of Childlessness: Images and Ideas of the Smallpox Goddess in a North Indian Village', in J.J. Preston (ed.), Mother Worship, Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina Press, 227–250
  • Mukhopadhyay, S.K. (1994) Cult of Goddess Śītalā in Bengal: An Enquiry into Folk Culture, Calcutta, Firma KLM.
  • Nicholas, R. (2003). Fruits of Worship. Practical Religion in Bengal, Chronicle Books, New Delhi.
  • Stewart, T.K. (1995) 'Encountering the Smallpox Goddess: The Auspicious Song of Śītalā', in D.S. Lopez, Jr. (ed.), Religious of India in Practice, Princeton, Princeton University Press, 389–397.
  • Wadley, S.S. (1980), 'Śītalā: The Cool One', Asian Folklore Studies, 39: 33–62.

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Shitala, Sitala, Śītalā, Sītala, Śītala: 24 definitions". 3 August 2014. Archived from the original on 6 August 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  2. ↑ Folk Religion: Change and Continuity Author Harvinder Singh Bhatti Publisher Rawat Publications, 2000 Original from Indiana University Digitized 18 June 2009 ISBN 9788170336082
  3. ↑ Chaudhari, Ram Gopal Singh (1917). Rambles in Bihar. Express Press. Archived from the original on 11 July 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  4. ↑ "Sheetala Saptami 2022: आज है शीतला सप्तमी का व्रत, मान्यतानुसार इस तरह की जाती है फल पाने के लिए पूजा". 24 March 2022. Archived from the original on 17 February 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  5. ↑ Mukherjee, Sujit (1998). A Dictionary of Indian Literature: Beginnings-1850. Orient Blackswan. ISBN 9788125014539. Archived from the original on 11 July 2024. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  6. ↑ Ferrari (2009: 146–147)
  7. ↑ www.wisdomlib.org (3 August 2014). "Shitala, Sitala, Śītalā, Sītala, Śītala: 24 definitions". www.wisdomlib.org. Archived from the original on 6 August 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  8. ↑ www.wisdomlib.org (12 October 2020). "The Greatness of Śītalā [Chapter 12]". www.wisdomlib.org. Archived from the original on 6 August 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  9. 1 2 Nicholas, Ralph W. (November 1981). "The Goddess Śītalā and Epidemic Smallpox in Bengal". The Journal of Asian Studies. 41 (1): 21–44. doi:10.2307/2055600. JSTOR 2055600. PMID 11614704. S2CID 8709682.
  10. ↑ Nicholas, Ralph W (2003). Fruits of worship: practical religion in Bengal By Ralph W. Nicholas. Orient Blackswan. ISBN 9788180280061. Archived from the original on 11 July 2024. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Folk Religion Change and Continuity by H S Bhatti Rawat Publications ISBN 81-7033-608-2
  12. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. ↑ Reddy, Prof Katta Narasimha; Reddy, Prof E. Siva Nagi; Naik, Prof K. Krishna (31 January 2023). Kalyana Mitra: Volume 10. Blue Rose Publishers.
  14. ↑ 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.
  15. ↑ Zeitschrift für Ethnologie (in German). 1905.
  16. ↑ Aboitiz, Nicole Cuunjieng; Manela, Erez (20 May 2020). "Interview – Toynbee Coronavirus Series: Erez Manela on the WHO, Smallpox Eradication, and the Need for Renewed Internationalism". Toynbee Prize Foundation. Archived from the original on 21 January 2024. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  17. ↑ "घर-घर पूजी जाएंगी शीतला माता,जानिए पूजा का महत्व और आराधना मंत्र". 21 March 2022. Archived from the original on 27 March 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  18. ↑ Mishra, P. K (1999). Studies in Hindu and Buddhist art By P. K. Mishra. Abhinav Publications. ISBN 9788170173687. Archived from the original on 11 July 2024. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  19. ↑ Kapur, Manavi (23 April 2016). "Finding Guru Dronacharya in 'Gurugram'". Business Standard India. Archived from the original on 14 August 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2018 – via Business Standard.
  20. ↑ Centre for Sikh Studies, University of California. Journal of Punjab Studies Fall 2004 Vol 11, No.2 H.S.Bhatti and D.M. Michon: Folk Practice in Punjab Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine
  21. 1 2 3 4 "Jarag Fair - Jarag Mela in Ludhiana, Jarag Fair Ludhiana Punjab".
  22. ↑ Narayan, Badri (7 November 2006). Women Heroes and Dalit Assertion in North India: Culture, Identity and Politics. SAGE Publishing India. ISBN 978-93-5280-057-5. Archived from the original on 11 July 2024. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  23. ↑ "Shri Mata Sheetla Devi Temple". Archived from the original on 16 July 2009. Retrieved 10 September 2009.
  24. ↑ "Sheetala Mata Temple in Gurgaon". religiousportal.com. Archived from the original on 22 September 2007. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  25. ↑ "Sheetala Devi Mandir in Gurgaon city, Haryana". hinduismtheopensourcefaith.blogspot.in. 19 January 2011. Archived from the original on 11 July 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  26. ↑ "मुम्बई का शीतला मंदिर: हर धर्म के लोग आते हैं दर्शन करने जानिए, क्या है खासियत?". punjabkesari. 19 October 2016. Archived from the original on 16 August 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  27. ↑ "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Archived from the original on 11 July 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2024. [user-generated source]
  28. ↑ "बारडच्या शितलादेवी नवरात्र महोत्सवावर करोनाचे सावट, आईच सांभाळून नेईल अशी भाविकांची ठाम श्रद्धा" (in Marathi). Retrieved 12 February 2021.[permanent dead link]
  29. ↑ "शीतला देवी मंदिर, रानीबाग". Archived from the original on 16 August 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  30. ↑ https://angdesh.com/shitla-mandir-munger/
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