Vajreshvari Devi
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| Vajreshwari (Vajreśvarī) | |
|---|---|
Thunderbolt/Diamond (Vajra) | |
| Member of Saat Behna (Seven Sisters goddesses) | |
 | |
| Other names | Bajreshwari, Kangra Devi, Kangrawali |
| Affiliation | Adi Shakti, Shakti |
| Texts | Manthānabhairavatantra, Tantric texts |
| Region | Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, India |
| Temples | Vajreshwari Devi Temple, Kangra (Shakta pitha) |
| Equivalents | |
| Tantric | Kālī (Epithet) |
| Regional/Warrior | Durgā (Warrior) |
| Tantric | Nityā (Tantric Yoginī) |
Vajreshvari (lang-sa|वज्रेश्वरी, Vajreśvarī), also known as Bajreshwari, Kangra Devi, or Kangrawali, is a fierce form of the Hindu goddess Shakti, primarily worshipped in the Kangra Valley, Himachal Pradesh. Her name derives from vajra (thunderbolt or diamond) and īśvarī (supreme female ruler), literally meaning "Goddess of the Thunderbolt" or "Diamond Goddess".[1][2] The principal centre of her worship is the Vajreshwari Devi Temple in Kangra, regarded as one of the 51 Shakta pithas.[2][3]
Vajreśvarī appears in several Tantric texts. In the Manthānabhairavatantra she is identified as one of the nine Nitya Yoginīs particularly associated with Kāma.[1] She is also described as an epithet of Kali while being invoked as the warrior form of Durga in certain rituals.[1] In the Kangra region she is understood as a fierce manifestation of Mahadevi.[2]