Statue of the Goddess Varahi on the Dimla Kali Temple in Rangpur, Bangladesh. (786k)
From the Varahi entry in Wikipedia:
Varahi is one of the Matrikas, a group of seven mother goddesses in the Hindu religion. With the head of a sow, Varahi is the shakti (feminine energy) of Varaha, the boar avatar of the God Vishnu, his third incarnation.
Varahi is worshipped by four major practices of Hinduism : Shaivism (devotees of Shiva), Brahmanism (devotees of Brahma), Vaishnavism (devotees of Vishnu) and especially Shaktism (goddess worship). She is usually worshipped at night, using secretive Vamamarga Tantric practices. The Buddhist goddesses Vajravārāhī and Marichi are believed to have their origins from the Hindu goddess Varahi.
According to the Shumbha-Nishumbha myth of the Devi Mahatmya from the Markandeya Purana religious texts, the Matrikas goddesses appears as shaktis (feminine powers) from the bodies of the gods. The scriptures say that Varahi was created from Varaha. She has a boar form, wields a chakra (discus) and fights with a sword. After the battle described in the scripture, the Matrikas dance – drunk on their victim's blood.
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Page last updated on Tue Sep 24 18:19:03 2019 (Mountain Standard Time)
Varahi - Sow-headed Goddess on gei.geichhorn.com
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