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Bagalamukhi

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Bagalamukhi

Bagalamukhi or Bagala (Devnagari: बगलामुखी) is one of the ten mahavidyas (great wisdom goddesses) in Hinduism. Bagalamukhi Devi smashes the devotee's misconceptions and delusions (or the devotee's enemies) with her cudgel. The word Bagala is derived from the word Valga (meaning – bridle or the rein that we put in the mouth to control the movements of tongue and direction) which, became Vagla and then Bagla.[1] The goddess has 108 different names (some others also call her by 1108 [2] names). Bagalamukhi is commonly known as Pitambara Maa in North India, the goddess associated with yellow color or golden colour.

Bagalamukhi is one of the ten forms of the wisdom goddesses, symbolising the potent female primeval force. Bagulamukhi means the back side of Shiva.

Iconography

"Bagalamukhi" is derived from "Bagala" (distortion of the original Sanskrit root "valgā") and "mukha", meaning "bridle" and "face", respectively. Thus, the name means one whose face has the power to capture or control. She thus represents the hypnotic power of the Goddess.[3] Another interpretation translates her name as "Kalyani".

Bagalamukhi has a golden complexion and her dress is yellow. She sits in a golden throne in the midst of an ocean of nectar full of yellow lotuses. A crescent moonnded. adorns her head. Two descriptions of the goddess are found in various texts- The Dwi-Bhuja (two handed), and the Chaturbhuja (Four handed). The Dwi-Bhuja depiction is the more common, and is described as the Soumya or milder form. She holds a club in her right hand with which she beats a demon, while pulling his tongue out with her left hand. This image is sometimes interpreted as an exhibition of stambhana, the power to stun or paralyse an enemy into silence. This is one of the boons for which Bagalamukhi's devotees worship her. Other Mahavidya goddesses are also said to represent similar powers useful for defeating enemies, to be invoked by their worshippers through various rituals.

Bagalamukhi is also called Pitambaradevi or Brahmastra Roopini and she turns each thing into its opposite. She turns speech into silence, knowledge into ignorance, power into impotence, defeat into victory. She represents the knowledge whereby each thing must in time become its opposite. As the still point between dualities she allows us to master them. To see the failure hidden in success, the death hidden in life, or the joy hidden in sorrow are ways of contacting her reality. Bagalamukhi is the secret presence of the opposite wherein each thing is dissolved back into the Unborn and the Uncreated.

Legend

Once upon a time, a huge storm erupted over the Earth. As it threatened to destroy whole of the creation, all the gods assembled in the Saurashtra region. Goddess Bagalamukhi emerged from the 'Haridra Sarovara', and appeased by the prayers of the gods, calmed down the storm. You can see replica of 'Haridra Sarovara', as described in scriptures, at Peetambara Peetham, Datia, Madhya Pradesh, India . Ganga apologises to Parvati for hurting her sentiments. She urges Parvati not to go outside Kailash. The deities worry about Parvati. Ganga departs from Kailash after seeing Parvati's anger. Nandi and the Shivgans try to stop Parvati from going outside Kailash, but in vain. Mahadev finds it difficult to pacify Parvati. Kartikey and Indradev pray to Parvati not to leave Kailash, but she denies. Parvati transforms herself into Bagalamukhi Devi to destroy the demons and the evil power.

bagalamukhi devi in a kali pooja pandal

Worship

An image of Bagalamukhi depicted in a Patachitra from Pingla, West Bengal

Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati is considered to be the center of Tantricism, where there is the presence of temples dedicted to the ten Mahavidyas. A few miles away from the Kamakhya Temple is the temple dedicated to the Goddess Bagalamukhi. Major temples to the goddess are situated in the Bankhandi Himachal Pradesh in the north, and at Nalkheda at Agar Malwa district in Madhya Pradesh and Pitambara Peeth in Datia Madhya Pradesh. In South India there is a temple at Bagalapeetam, Eraiyur Road, Vallakottai in Kanchipuram district in Tamil Nadu. sree suryamangalam, Kallidaikurichi, Papankulam village in Tirunelveli district in Tamil Nadu.[4][5]

In Somalapura (Kalyani) of Sindhanur taluk, Yadagiri district of North Karnataka there is a less known but very powerful Bagulamukhi Sidhdha Peeth ( A Sidhdha peetha is a temple built by a great yogi after Devi's sakshaatkara and falling to the love of the yogi, devi promises to preside in the temple )or temple is there built by great yogi Shri Chidanandavadhoota around 300 years ago. 'Shree Devi Charitre' was composed by Chidanandavadhoota which is read in every household of Karnataka even today.

In Virupaskhi, a small village next to Mulabagil of Kolar district Karnataka, there is a Bagulamukhi temple. The Bagulamukhi temple is part of temple complex of Virupakshi temple. The mythology tells that the Virupaskha ling was installed by great sage Atri Maharshi, father of Shriguru Dattatreya. The linga changes its color in 3 ways from sunrise to sunset. It is believed that King Vikramaaditya built the Bagulamukhi temple at Virupakshi.

Nepal, where the worship of tantric goddesses had Royal patronage, also has a large temple devoted to Bagalamukhi in the Newar city of Patan in Nepal near Kathmandu. The territory of the Bagalamukhi temple in Patan also has several other temples dedicated to Ganesha, Shiva, Saraswati, Guheswar, Bhairava etc.

Other Bagulamukhi temples in India

1. Pappankulam: South It is a small village in Tirunelveli district of Tamil nadu State. Sree Bagalamukhi Devi Temple is here. Pappankulam is 9 km from Ambasamudram and 4 km from Kalladaikurichi Railwastation.

2. Nalkhera: It is a nagar Panchayat in Shajapur district of Madhya Pradesh State. Bagalamukhi Temple is here. Nalkhera is 36 km from Agar and 107 km from Ujjain.

3. Sameli: It is a small village in Kangra District of Himachal Pradesh State. Bagalamukhi Temple is here. This temple is 25 km from Kangra on Ranital-Dehra road.

4. Aligarh: It is the district headquarter in Uttar Pradesh State. Maa Bagalamukhi Temple is here in Biharipuram. This temple is 4 km from Aligarh Railway Station. Aligarh is 135 km from New Delhi and 64 km from Mathura.

5. Tewar: It is a small village near Kachnar city in Jabalpur district of Madhya Pradesh State. Bagalamukhi Temple is here. This temple is just 16 km from Jabalpur city.

6. Ludhiana: It is a district headquarter city in Punjab State. Ma Bagalamukhi Mandir is here in Vivek Dham Colony. This temple is just 6 km from Ludhiana Junction Railway Station. Ludhiana is 96 km from Chandigarh and 60 km from Jalandhar.

7. Raigarh: It is the district headquarter city of Chhattisgarh State. Bagalamukhi Mandir is here. This temple is just 1.5 km from Raigarh Railway Station. Raigarh is 54 km from Sarangarh.

8. Haridwar: It is the pilgrimage temple in Uttarakhand State. Maa Bagalamukhi Siddh peeth is here near Bhagiradhi Vidyalayam (Deva Samkriti Viswavidyalam beside road).

See also

Baglamukhi is the eighth mahavidya, invoked for destruction of enmity, often mistaken for enemy. This is the Supreme divine force, believed to have been invoked by Lord Ram to destroy the demon Ravan with his descendants.

References

  1. ^ "About Bagalamukhi". Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  2. ^ "1108 Names of Bagalamukhi Ma". Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  3. ^ Frawley, p.130
  4. ^ http://bagalapeetam.com/
  5. ^ http://sreebagalamukhidevitemple.org/home.php

Bibliography

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bagalamukhi.
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