Isakki - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Isakki or Isakkai is a Hindu

Hindu

Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...

Goddess of South India

South India

South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...

. She is generically considered one of the Village Goddesses, like Māri

Sitala

Sitala is a genus of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Helicarionidae. Sitala is the type genus of Sitalinae, that is a synonym of Durgellini.-Species:Species within the genus Sitala include:...

, the goddess of epidemics.
She is commonly referred as Isakki Amman (Tamil for "Mother"). She is related to goddess Nīli and to certain female deities known as Yakshi, in fact, the name Isakki apparently derives from the Sanskrit Yakshī.
The worship of this Goddess is common in the Kanyakumari

Kanyakumari District

Kanyakumari District ) is a district of Tamil Nadu state, India and is the southernmost land area of mainland India.The district is the second most urbanised district in Tamilnadu, next only to Chennai and ahead of Coimbatore. It also has the highest literacy and education levels in the...

, Tirunelveli

Tirunelveli

Tirunelveli , also known as Nellai , and historically as Tinnevelly, is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the headquarters of the Tirunelveli District and the sixth biggest city in Tamil Nadu...

and Salem districts of Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...

.

She corresponds to the Jain Yakshi Ambika

Ambika (Jainism)

In Jainism, Ambika or Ambika Devi is the "dedicated attendant deity" or "protector goddess" of the 22nd Tirthankara, Neminath. She is also known as Ambai, Amba and Amra Kushmandini....

, who is always represented with one or two children.

Shrines

Unlike the temples of the Vedic deities, Isakki Amman temples are usually humble shrines. These are lined with a certain cactus-type euphorbiaceous plant known as Paalkallu in Tamil. When broken, such cactuses ooze a milk-like sap, which is considered as a sign of goddess Isakki.

Isakki temples also usually have a banyan

Banyan

A banyan is a fig that starts its life as an epiphyte when its seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host tree...

or bo tree close to the shrine. Small wooden cribs and pieces of women's sari

Sari

A sari or sareeThe name of the garment in various regional languages include: , , , , , , , , , , , , , is a strip of unstitched cloth, worn by females, ranging from four to nine metres in length that is draped over the body in various styles. It is popular in India, Bangladesh, Nepal,...

s are tied to the branches and aerial roots of the spreading tree. These are vows made by village women who desire to have offspring.

Festivals

The worship of Isakki Amman includes popular festivals with cooking by the shrine and the dedication of large terracotta figures of the goddess (3 to 4 ft in height) painted in garish colors. Isakki shrines have many of these broken large figures of the goddess strewn close to them in different states of ruin.
These figures are sometimes smeared with a liquid made from mixing lime (calcium hydroxide), water and turmeric

Turmeric

Turmeric is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. It is native to tropical South Asia and needs temperatures between 20 °C and 30 °C and a considerable amount of annual rainfall to thrive...

and which ritually represents blood.
Apparently this liquid is a substitute for certain blood sacrifices that took place in the past.

Iconography

Isakki is portrayed according to the stories that are told about her by the priests of every shrine. These priests are usually from communities, like the Nadar (caste)

Nadar (caste)

Nadar is one of the prominent castes of Tamil Nadu, South India. The term, Nadar, in Tamil literally means one who rules the land. The Nadars are also commonly called as Annachi . Nadars are an entrepreneurial south Indian caste and constitute 12% of Tamil Nadu's population...

, Pallan and others
This goddess is usually portrayed as a young woman wearing a red dress. She is holding a child on one hand and a trident in the other. She is sometimes represented as standing on a man that lies on the ground.

Tradition

The most acknowledged story of Isakki goes as below:

Ambika, a housewife, was leading a peaceful family life with her husband Somasharman and their two male children. One day the dutyful "dharpan" ritual had to be performed to the ancestors of their family and all the items were duly prepared. However, while Somasharman was away to take bath in the river, Ambika offered food to a starving sage who begged for it. Suddenly Somasharman became enraged since the food prepared as offerings to ancestors had been served to the sage before the necessary rites & pujas. Thus Ambika and her children were chased away from home. Ambika wandered until she found a calm place. Realising his foolishness later, Somasharman went in search of his wife and children. But fearing him, Ambika gave up her life. After her unfortunate death, it is believed that she took the form of "Yakshini" and that she still wanted to take care of her growing children. Later, with the grace of God, she was able to regain her human life for the benefit of her offspring.

It is when Ambika took the Yakshini form and regained human life with the intention to serve the family that she became Iyakki or Isakki.

Shrines

Festivals

Iconography

Tradition

See also