Regional
Goddesses
Village and regional deities are the most ancient aspect of Indian religion. These deities are either associated with the mainstream Hindu tradition or have their independent cult and origin. Some of them are considered to be originated from the pre-Vedic beliefs of indigenous inhabitants but many are of quite a recent origin. People who died violently, or who have been notorious for their power or their sacrifices, are often worshipped after their death, as a deity. Most of these deities are grama devata (village deities) who protect their devotee or the people of their province from diseases and disasters. Each village or region is considered to be under the protection of a guardian deity or grama devata. The addition of new deities is prevalent even now, and hence there are countless deities across India and most of them are exclusively female. Hinduism also has many Kuldevtas, tutelary deities. They are worshipped by particular clans, castes, and sometimes families. Kuldevtas are different from grama devata and other regional deities, but sometimes their origin and temples are correlated with regions. Several regional deities also are adopted as tutelary deities by people of that domain.
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The regional goddesses are represented as aniconic, either as a shapeless stone, mountains, snake-hole, or any other natural formations. With time, many regional goddesses and practices got influenced by Brahminical practices. The story surrounding these deities varies considerably by region, but most of these deities are now rooted in the idea of Shakti as the primordial goddess. These goddesses are worshipped as a form of Goddesses like Durga and Kali, apart from historical heroines. Most of the time, their iconography is comparable in a particular region. Another interesting viewpoint is that several goddesses are named after the village or city they reside in or vice versa. Notable examples are Shakti pithas and various regional forms of major Hindu goddesses.
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It is challenging to identify many regional deities in India due to a lack of research and documentation. The following list includes some prominent local Hindu deities from various Indian states and nearby nations.
Northern India
In the northern part of India, the rich tapestry of Hindu mythology and traditions come alive through the worship of various regional goddesses, each exuding her unique divine grace and significance.
Chandigarh
Chandigarh means “the fortress of Chandi”. The name of the city is derived from an ancient Chandi temple near Panchkula District, in Haryana. Devotees in the area worship goddesses such as Basanti Mata, whose shrines are dispersed throughout Chandigarh and surrounding states, and Kansa Devi, whose temple is located close to Kansal village.
Delhi
Jhandewalan is a prominent goddess in Delhi, also called “Maa Jhande Wali” since a huge flag (Jhanda) was installed by Badri Das for her prayer. The legend narrates how a merchant named Badri Das discovered a buried idol at the temple site and installed a grand flag (Jhanda) in her honor. The goddess is portrayed seated on a lion and she has four hands carrying a sword, bowl, trident, and conch.
Himachal Pradesh
Numerous deities are venerated in the state of Himachal Pradesh. One of the 51 Shakti Peethas, Jwala Ji is worshipped in the temple in Jawalamukhi, Kangra district. Her name comes from the frequent flames that come from the shrine as a result of natural gas usage.
The presiding deity of the ruling elite of the ancient princely state of Bushahr, Bhimakali, makes her domicile in the Sarahan temple. The goddess Hadimba Devi, who wed Bhima from the Mahabharata epic, has a temple near the town of Manali. Another renowned Shakti Peetha in Kangra is the Vajreshwari Mata shrine, which honors a particular manifestation of Mahishasuramardini. She's shown with four arms, holding a trident, sword, and bell, and her left-hand holding the tail of the Mahishasura. Simsa Mata is worshipped in Simas, Maa Bhangayni in Haripurdhar, and Bhalei Mata is worshipped in Bhalei. Pohlani Mata's temple is in Rakhed, whereas Nerasa Devi's shrine is at Naras village in the Bilaspur district. Other goddesses are Chintpurni, Haridevi, Baniya, Jhunga, and Dharech, whose shrines are situated in the respective towns of Chintpurni, Bilaspur, Solan, Bhadrol Uparla, and Dharech.
Haryana
Haryana is also the home of a few local goddesses, who are revered with individual shrines spread around the state. Though not being widely recognized in pan-Hindu traditions, these goddesses have a distinct position in local worship. The Chhitane Wali Mata temple is located in Bada Bazzar's Sunaron Street, while the Bhimeshwari Devi shrine is located in Beri Dopana. The Sawal Devi temple in Sewah serves as a place of worship, and at Bhanbhori, devotees congregate at the Bhanbhori Devi temple. The Bhoja Wali Devi and Phoolm Devi temples are located in Bhiwani and Dhanana, respectively.
Jammu and Kashmir
In Jammu and Kashmir, a region rich in spirituality, several different deities are honored. A prominent Shakti Peetha in Neelum Valley is where Shradha Devi, a deity connected to learning, was residing before the destruction of the temple. The sacred temple of Kheer Bhawani in Tulmul is built above a natural spring, and Sartal Devi's shrine is in Kishtwar.
While Vaishno Devi, a manifestation of Kali, Lakshmi, and Saraswati, attracts millions of pilgrims to her shrine in Katra at the Trikuta Mountain. In the Varaha Purana, she is known as Trikala, the goddess born of Trimurti. She defeated Mahisasura on Satasranga Parvata, which is now the home of Vaishno Devi. In the Devi Mahabhagavata Puranam, she is referred to as Vishnupriya, indicating that she is the one who is beloved by Vishnu.
Machail Mata is revered in the Machail village of the Kishtwar District. In Srinagar, Zeashta Devi and Mata Sharika Devi are revered. Mata Sharika Devi, is also the goddess who serves as the tutelary deity of the Baj Basanta dynasty.
Punjab
In Punjab, devotees seek Lal Devi's blessings at her temple in Amritsar. Lal Devi was born in the Kasoor locality of Pakistan's Lahore district in 1923. She arrived to Amritsar after India's partition and attained Nirvana in 1994. The Lal Devi temple is made in a man-made cave style decorated with beautiful artwork and brilliant colors. Julfa Mata's temple is a revered place of worship in Nangal. Although her temple is not commonly counted among Shakti Peethas, it is claimed that Sati's hair fell here. Jayanti Devi, the regional goddess, has her shrine on the Jayanti Majri village hilltop. Goddess Sanjhi is a folk goddess worshipped in Punjab during Navaratri.
