Meldi Mata

☆ Save On Wikipedia ↗

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

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] Meldi Mata is represented in Gujarati devotional images in the Mata ni Pachedi textile tradition.[14][15]

In popular lithographs, she is depicted with multiple arms holding different weapons such as a trident, sword, discus, and mace.[16]

Protective and tantric associations

Meldi Mata has been associated with protection from spirits and other forms of danger.[17] Modern devotional materials present her mantras (sacred chants) and yantras (ritual diagrams) as sources of protective and practical power.[18] Meldi Mata is described as capable of granting fertility, pacifying enemies, warding off spirits, and providing other worldly benefits.[19]

Worship

Worship of Meldi Mata varies among temples and communities.[20] Common practices include arti, the singing and performing of bhajans and garbas, offerings of prasad, and different forms of a havana.[21] As part of her worship through devotional music, the use of Meldi folk songs and bhajans at temples is prevalent.[22]

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.[23]

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.[24]

References

  1. Kumar, Naresh (2003). Encyclopaedia of Folklore and Folktales of South Asia. Anmol Publications. ISBN 978-81-261-1400-9.
  2. "Gods outside temples". Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  3. Maa meldi tari mer. OCLC 71009991.
  4. Gujarat (India) (1977). Gazetteers: Surendranagar District. Directorate of Government Print., Stationery and Publications.
  5. Gujarat (India) (1975). Gujarat State Gazetteers: Junagadh. Directorate of Government Print., Stationery and Publications, Gujarat State.
  6. Gujarat. Popular Prakashan. 2003. ISBN 978-81-7991-106-8.
  7. Desai, Govindbhai Hathibhai (1932). Hindu Families in Gujarat: Being an Account of Their Domestic, Social and Economic Life. Baroda State Press.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. Dwyer, Rachel (2013-09-12). What Do Hindus Believe?. Granta Books. ISBN 978-1-84708-940-3.
  11. Joshi, Om Prakash (1994). Gods of Heaven, Home of Gods: A Study of Popular Prints. Illustrated Book Publishers. ISBN 978-81-85683-05-8.
  12. Dinnell 2019, p. 1-2.
  13. Dinnell 2019, p. 182.
  14. Dinnell 2019, p. 191.
  15. Fischer 2014, p. 155,171-176.
  16. Dinnell 2019, p. 190-191.
  17. Dinnell 2019, pp. 190–196.
  18. Dinnell 2019, pp. 195–196.
  19. Dinnell 2019, pp. 366–367.
  20. Dinnell 2019, p. 198, 209, 222-223, 228-233, 249-254.
  21. Dinnell 2019, p. 208, 222, 228-233, 249-254.
  22. Dinnell 2019, p. 221, 232.
  23. Dinnell 2019, p. 253-54.
  24. Dinnell 2019, p. 253.

Sources