Meldi Mata
Hindu goddess
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Meldi Mata is a Hindu goddess and household deity[1] who protects farmland.[2] A legend says that she can grant any wish.[3] She is mainly famous in the western state of Gujarat.[4][5][6] She is a revered goddess for gujrati farming Hindus[7] and people of Chunvalia Koli.[8] Her vahana is a goat.[9][10] She has eight hands which hold a variety of weapons.[11]
Iconography
Goddesses worshipped in Gujarat are often distinguished by their animal mounts. Bahuchar Mata is associated with a rooster, Khodiyar Mata with a crocodile, and Meldi Mata with a goat.[12] One origin narrative connects Meldi Mata to the goddess Parvati. Parvati gives her the goat as her mount and also grants her powers.[13] Meldi Mata is represented in Gujarati devotional images in the Mata ni Pachedi textile tradition.[14][15]
In popular lithographs, she is depicted with multiple arms holding different weapons such as a trident, sword, discus, and mace.[16]
Protective and tantric associations
Meldi Mata has been associated with protection from spirits and other forms of danger.[17] Modern devotional materials present her mantras (sacred chants) and yantras (ritual diagrams) as sources of protective and practical power.[18] Meldi Mata is described as capable of granting fertility, pacifying enemies, warding off spirits, and providing other worldly benefits.[19]
Worship
Worship of Meldi Mata varies among temples and communities.[20] Common practices include arti, the singing and performing of bhajans and garbas, offerings of prasad, and different forms of a havana.[21] As part of her worship through devotional music, the use of Meldi folk songs and bhajans at temples is prevalent.[22]
At the Jasalpur temple, annual celebrations include garba singing and dancing. The celebrations also include a "garbo" procession in which women carry earthen pots containing lamps to the goddess's shrine.[23]
Devotees visit Meldi Mata temples with requests concerning fertility, prosperity, migration, and other practical concerns. When their wishes are fulfilled, devotees may return with offerings or undertake pilgrimages.[24]
