Meldi Mata
Meldi Mata is a Hindu goddess and household deity[1] who protects farmland.[2] A legend says that she can grant any wish.[3] She is mainly famous in the western state of Gujarat.[4][5][6] She is a revered goddess for gujrati farming Hindus[7] and people of Chunvalia Koli.[8] Her vahana is a goat.[9][10] She has eight hands which hold a variety of weapons.[11]
Iconography
[edit]Goddesses worshipped in Gujarat are often distinguished by their animal mounts. Bahuchar Mata is associated with a rooster, Khodiyar Mata with a crocodile, and Meldi Mata with a goat.[12] One origin narrative connects Meldi Mata to the goddess Parvati. Parvati gives her the goat as her mount and also grants her powers.[13]
In popular lithographs, she is depicted with multiple arms holding different weapons such as a trident, sword, discus, and mace.[14]
Worship
[edit]Worship of Meldi Mata varies among temples and communities.[15] [16] Common practices include arti, the singing and performing of bhajans and garbas, offerings of prasad, and different forms of a havana.[17] As part of her worship through devotional music, the use of Meldi folk songs and bhajans at temples is prevalent.[18]
At the Jasalpur temple, annual celebrations include garba singing and dancing. The celebrations also include a "garbo" procession in which women carry earthen pots containing lamps to the goddess's shrine.[19]
Devotees visit Meldi Mata temples with requests concerning fertility, prosperity, migration, and other practical concerns. When their wishes are fulfilled, devotees may return with offerings or undertake pilgrimages.[20]
Sources
[edit]- ↑ Kumar, Naresh (2003). Encyclopaedia of Folklore and Folktales of South Asia. Anmol Publications. ISBN 978-81-261-1400-9.
- ↑ "Gods outside temples". Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
- ↑ Maa meldi tari mer. OCLC 71009991.
- ↑ Gujarat (India) (1977). Gazetteers: Surendranagar District. Directorate of Government Print., Stationery and Publications.
- ↑ Gujarat (India) (1975). Gujarat State Gazetteers: Junagadh. Directorate of Government Print., Stationery and Publications, Gujarat State.
- ↑ Gujarat. Popular Prakashan. 2003. ISBN 978-81-7991-106-8.
- ↑ Desai, Govindbhai Hathibhai (1932). Hindu Families in Gujarat: Being an Account of Their Domestic, Social and Economic Life. Baroda State Press.
- ↑ Tambs-Lyche, Harald (1996-12-31). Power, Profit, and Poetry: Traditional Society in Kathiawar, Western India. Manohar Publishers & Distributors. ISBN 978-81-7304-176-1.
- ↑ Larson, Gerald James; Pal, Pratapaditya; Smith, H. Daniel (1997). Changing Myths and Images: Twentieth-century Popular Art in India. India Studies Program, Indiana University. ISBN 978-1-56727-006-8.
- ↑ Dwyer, Rachel (2013-09-12). What Do Hindus Believe?. Granta Books. ISBN 978-1-84708-940-3.
- ↑ Joshi, Om Prakash (1994). Gods of Heaven, Home of Gods: A Study of Popular Prints. Illustrated Book Publishers. ISBN 978-81-85683-05-8.
- ↑ Dinnell 2019, p. 1-2.
- ↑ Dinnell 2019, p. 182.
- ↑ Dinnell 2019.
- ↑ Dinnell, Darry (2019). Upwardly mobile Mātās: The transformation of Village Goddesses in Gujarat, India (Thesis). McGill University. doi:10.82308/32734.
- ↑ Dinnell 2019, p. 198, 209, 222-223, 228-233, 249-254.
- ↑ Dinnell 2019, p. 208, 222, 228-233, 249-254.
- ↑ Dinnell 2019, p. 221, 232.
- ↑ Dinnell 2019, p. 253-54.
- ↑ Dinnell 2019, p. 253.
References
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