Bhūmi (also
Bhūmī-Devī,
Bhūma Devī),
Bhū Devī) is the divine wife of
Lord VarahaVaraha is the third Avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, in the form of a Boar. He appeared in order to defeat Hiranyaksha, a demon who had taken the Earth and carried it to the bottom of what is described as the cosmic ocean in the story. The battle between Varaha and Hiranyaksha is believed to have...
, an
AvatarIn Hinduism, Avatar or Avatara usually implies a deliberate descent from higher spiritual realms to lower realms of existence for special purposes, often translated into English as incarnation.Avatars that are of importance are mainly those of the Supreme Being...
of Lord Vishnu. She is the representative goddess, mother earth. According to
HinduA Hindu is an adherent of Hinduism, a set of religious, philosophical and cultural systems that originated in the Indian subcontinent. The vast body of Hindu scriptures, divided into Śruti and Smriti , lay the foundation of Hindu beliefs which primarily include dhárma, kárma, ahimsa and saṃsāra...
mythology, the divine saint
AndalAandaal is an 8th century Tamil saint and one of the twelve Alvars and the only woman Alvar of Vaishnavism. She is credited with the great Tamil works of Thirupavai and Nachiar Tirumozhi that are still recited by devotees during the Winter festival season of Margazhi. Aandaal is known for her...
is a form of her. The demon
NarakasuraIn Hindu mythology, Narakasura or Naraka is the asura son of the earth goddess Bhudevi and Lord Vishnu in his Varaha avatar . In other sources, he is the son of the asura Hiranyaksha. He is said to have established the kingdom of Pragjyotisha in Assam after overthrowing the last of the Danava...
is her son.. She is the mother of
SitaSITA is a multinational information technology company specialising in providing IT and telecommunication services to the aviation industry. Originally known as the Société Internationale de Télécommunications Aéronautiques, the company no longer uses this long name and is now known simply as...
, (note the symbolism of the baby Sita being found in a ploughed field). According to the uttara-kanda, when Sita finally leaves her husband
RamaRama or Ramachandra is the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a legendary king of Ayodhya in ancient India...
, she returns to Bhumidevi.
Bhūmi (also
Bhūmī-Devī,
Bhūma Devī),
Bhū Devī) is the divine wife of
Lord VarahaVaraha is the third Avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, in the form of a Boar. He appeared in order to defeat Hiranyaksha, a demon who had taken the Earth and carried it to the bottom of what is described as the cosmic ocean in the story. The battle between Varaha and Hiranyaksha is believed to have...
, an
AvatarIn Hinduism, Avatar or Avatara usually implies a deliberate descent from higher spiritual realms to lower realms of existence for special purposes, often translated into English as incarnation.Avatars that are of importance are mainly those of the Supreme Being...
of Lord Vishnu. She is the representative goddess, mother earth. According to
HinduA Hindu is an adherent of Hinduism, a set of religious, philosophical and cultural systems that originated in the Indian subcontinent. The vast body of Hindu scriptures, divided into Śruti and Smriti , lay the foundation of Hindu beliefs which primarily include dhárma, kárma, ahimsa and saṃsāra...
mythology, the divine saint
AndalAandaal is an 8th century Tamil saint and one of the twelve Alvars and the only woman Alvar of Vaishnavism. She is credited with the great Tamil works of Thirupavai and Nachiar Tirumozhi that are still recited by devotees during the Winter festival season of Margazhi. Aandaal is known for her...
is a form of her. The demon
NarakasuraIn Hindu mythology, Narakasura or Naraka is the asura son of the earth goddess Bhudevi and Lord Vishnu in his Varaha avatar . In other sources, he is the son of the asura Hiranyaksha. He is said to have established the kingdom of Pragjyotisha in Assam after overthrowing the last of the Danava...
is her son.. She is the mother of
SitaSITA is a multinational information technology company specialising in providing IT and telecommunication services to the aviation industry. Originally known as the Société Internationale de Télécommunications Aéronautiques, the company no longer uses this long name and is now known simply as...
, (note the symbolism of the baby Sita being found in a ploughed field). According to the uttara-kanda, when Sita finally leaves her husband
RamaRama or Ramachandra is the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a legendary king of Ayodhya in ancient India...
, she returns to Bhumidevi. Bhumi Devi is also believed to be one of the two forms of
LakshmiLakshmi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity, light, wisdom, fortune, fertility, generosity and courage; and the embodiment of beauty, grace and charm...
. The other is Sridevi, who remains with
NarayanaNarayana or Narayan is an important Sanskrit name for Vishnu, and in many contemporary vernaculars a common Indian name. Narayana is also identified as the original man, Purusha. The Puranas present divergent views on Narayana...
. Bhudevi is the Goddess of Earth, and the fertility form of Lakshmi.
Several female deities have had births similar to Sita. Alamelu Mangamma or Sri Padmavathi Devi of
TiruchanurTiruchanur is the third largest Suburban of Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh, India.Pilgrimage to Tirupati is incomplete without a visit to Sri Padmavati Ammavari temple at Trichanur. Sri Padmavati is the divine consort of Lord Venkateswara Swamy. As Goddess Padmavati, a manifestation of Goddess...
had a similar beginning, being found in a ploughed field by Akasa Raja.
AndalAandaal is an 8th century Tamil saint and one of the twelve Alvars and the only woman Alvar of Vaishnavism. She is credited with the great Tamil works of Thirupavai and Nachiar Tirumozhi that are still recited by devotees during the Winter festival season of Margazhi. Aandaal is known for her...
from Srivilliputtur in Tamilnadu was found under a Tulasi plant by Perialvar.
Iconography
She is depicted in votive statuary, seated on a square platform which rests on the back of four elephants representing the four corners of the world. When depicted with four arms, she holds a pomegranate, a water vessel, a bowl containing healing herbs, and another containing vegetables. When shown with two arms, she holds a blue lotus known as Komud or Uttpal the night lotus, in the right hand. The left hand may be in the Abhaya
MudraA mudrā is a symbolic or ritual gesture in Hinduism and Buddhism. While some mudrās involve the entire body, most are performed with the hands and fingers...
- fearlessness or the Lolahasta Mudra which is an aesthetic pose meant to mimic the tail of a cow.