Parvati facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Parvati |
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| Mother Goddess Goddess of Power, Nourishment, Devotion, Motherhood, Fertility, and Harmony Supreme Goddess in Shaivism |
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| Member of Tridevi and Pancha Prakriti | |
Parvati with her son Ganesha
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| Other names | Uma, Gauri, Durga, Kali, Aparna, Girija, Haimavati, Ambika, Bhavani, Meenakshi, Kamakshi, Annapoorna, Visalakshi, Katyayani, Bhavani, Mahadevi, Akilandeshwari |
| Devanagari | पार्वती |
| Affiliation | |
| Abode | Kailasha, Manidvipa |
| Mantra | Sarvamaṅgalamāṅgalye Śive Sarvārthasādhike । Śaraṇye Tryambake Gauri Nārāyaṇi Namo'stu Te ।। |
| Day | Monday & Friday |
| Mount | Lion and Tiger |
| Texts | Devi-Bhagavata Purana, Mahabhagavata Purana, Devi Mahatmya, Kalika Purana, Shakta Upanishads, Tantras |
| Festivals |
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| Personal information | |
| Consort | Shiva |
| Children | |
| Parents | Himavan (father) Maināvati (mother) |
| Siblings | Ganga (elder sister) Mainaka (elder brother) |
Parvati, also known as Uma and Gauri, is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is 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.
Parvati is the chief consort of the ascetic god Shiva. She is the source of power that energises Shiva, who without her is incomplete.
Parvati is portrayed as the ideal wife, mother, and householder in Indian legends. She is the mother of the prominent Hindu deities Ganesha and Kartikeya. She is also known as the younger sister of Lord Vishnu.
Parvati is also one of the central deities in the goddess-oriented sect of Shaktism.
Contents
Iconography and symbolism
Parvati is usually represented as fair, beautiful, and benevolent. She typically wears a red dress (often a sari), and may have a head-band. When depicted alongside Shiva she generally appears with two arms, but when alone she may be depicted having four. These hands may hold a trident, mirror, rosary, bell, dish, goad, sugarcane stalk, or flowers (such as a lotus). One of her arms in front may be in the Abhaya mudra (hand gesture for 'fear not'), one of her children, typically Ganesha, is on her knee, while her younger son Skanda may be playing near her in her watch. In ancient temples, Parvati's sculpture is often depicted near a calf or cow. Bronze has been the chief metal for her sculpture, while stone is the next most common material.
Parvati is sometimes shown with golden or yellow color skin, particularly as goddess Gauri, symbolizing her as the goddess of ripened harvests.
In culture
Festivals
Teej is a significant festival for Hindu women, particularly in the northern and western states of India. Parvati is the primary deity of the festival, and it ritually celebrates married life and family ties. It also celebrates the monsoon. The festival is marked with swings hung from trees, girls playing on these swings typically in a green dress (seasonal color of crop planting season), while singing regional songs. Historically, unmarried maidens prayed to Parvati for a good mate, while married women prayed for the well-being of their husbands and visited their relatives. In Nepal, Teej is a three-day festival marked with visits to Shiva-Parvati temples and offerings to linga. Teej is celebrated as Teeyan in Punjab.
The Gowri Habba, or Gauri Festival, is celebrated on the seventh, eighth, and ninth of Bhadrapada (Shukla paksha). Parvati is worshipped as the goddess of harvest and protector of women. Her festival, chiefly observed by women, is closely associated with the festival of her son Ganesha (Ganesh Chaturthi). The festival is popular in Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Another popular festival in reverence of Parvati is Navratri, in which all her manifestations are worshiped over nine days. Popular in eastern India, particularly in Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand and Assam, as well as several other parts of India such as Gujarat, with her nine forms, that is, Shailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandamata, Katyayini, Kaalratri, Mahagauri, and Siddhidatri.
Another festival Gauri Tritiya is celebrated from Chaitra Shukla third to Vaishakha Shukla third. This festival is popular in Maharashtra and Karnataka, less observed in North India, and unknown in Bengal. The unwidowed women of the household erect a series of platforms in a pyramidal shape with the image of the goddess at the top and a collection of ornaments, images of other Hindu deities, pictures, shells, etc. below. Neighbors are invited and presented with turmeric, fruits, flowers, etc. as gifts. At night, prayers are held with singing and dancing. In south Indian states such as Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, the Kethara Gauri Vritham festival is celebrated on the new moon day of Diwali and married women fast for the day, prepare sweets and worship Parvati for the well-being of the family.
Thiruvathira is a festival observed in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It is believed that on this day, Parvati met Shiva after her long penance and Shiva took her as his wife. On this day Hindu women perform the Thiruvathirakali accompanied by Thiruvathira paattu (folk songs about Parvati and her longing and penance for Lord Shiva's affection).
Arts
From sculpture to dance, many Indian arts explore and express the stories of Parvati and Shiva as themes. For example, Daksha Yagam of Kathakali, a form of dance-drama choreography, adapts the romantic episodes of Parvati and Shiva.
The Gauri-Shankar bead is a part of religious adornment rooted in the belief of Parvati and Shiva as the ideal equal complementing halves of the other. Gauri-Shankar is a particular rudraksha (bead) formed naturally from the seed of a tree found in India. Two seeds of this tree sometimes naturally grow as fused and are considered symbolic of Parvati and Shiva. These seeds are strung into garlands and worn, or used in malas (rosaries) for meditation in Saivism.
Numismatics
Ancient coins from Bactria (Central Asia) of Kushan Empire era, and those of king Harsha (North India) feature Uma. These were issued sometime between the 3rd- and 7th-century AD. In Bactria, Uma is spelled Ommo, and she appears on coins holding a flower. On her coin is also shown Shiva, who is sometimes shown in the ithyphallic state holding a trident and standing near Nandi (his vahana). On coins issued by king Harsha, Parvati and Shiva are seated on a bull and the reverse of the coin has Brahmi script.
Major temples
Parvati is often present with Shiva in Saivite Hindu temples all over South Asia and Southeast Asia.
Some locations (Pithas or Shaktipeeths) are considered special because of their historical importance and legends about their origins in the ancient texts of Hinduism.
List of temples
Each major Parvati-Shiva temple is a pilgrimage site that has an ancient legend associated with it, which is typically a part of a larger story that links these Hindu temples across South Asia with each other. Some temples where Parvati can be found include:
- in Jammu and Kashmir: Udhampur District, Jammu Mantalai Temple and Gauri Kund
- In Karnataka: Chamundeswari Temple Mysore
- In Odisha : Parvati in the form of Annapurna, as the consort of Lingaraj inside Lingaraj temple complex, Bhubaneswar, Birja Temple, jajpur
- in Kerala: Annapurneshwari Temple, Cherukunnu, Attukal Bhagavathy Temple, Chakkulathukavu Temple, Chengannur Mahadeva Temple, Oorpazhachi Kavu, Irumkulangara Durga Devi Temple, Chakkulathukavu Temple Kadampuzha Devi Temple, Mridanga Saileswari Temple, Kumaranallor bagavathi temple and most of 108 durgalayas in kerela
- in Maharashtra: Tulja Bhavani Temple
- in Meghalaya: Nartiang Durga Temple
- in Tamil Nadu: Meenakshi Amman Temple, Kamakshi Amman Temple, Sri Siva Durga Temple, Bannari Amman Temple, Samayapuram Mariamman Temple, Vekkali Amman Temple, Mutharamman Temple, Kulasekharapatnam, Tiruverkadu Devi Karumariamman Temple, Nellaiappar Temple, Kapaleeshwarar Temple, Masani Ammam temple, Gomathi Amman, Punnainallur Mariamman
- in Tripura: Tripura Sundari Temple
- in Uttar Pradesh: Vishalakshi Temple, Annapurna Devi Temple, Alopi Devi Mandir
Images for kids
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Meenakshi Amman temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu is a major temple dedicated to Meenakshi, an aspect of Hindu goddess Parvati.
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Attributed to Khushala The Gods Sing and Dance for Shiva and Parvati (late 18th century)
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Parvati being celebrated at Gauri Festival, Rajasthan.
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See also
In Spanish: Parvati para niños
