2603:8000:7A01:DA76:21D0:6284:2117:DFD1 at 05:33, 7 April 2022

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{{short description|Lotus-headed Hindu Goddess associated with abundance, fertility and sexuality}}
[[File:6th century Lajja Gauri relief from Madhya Pradesh India, lotus head with female body.jpg|thumb|6th century Lajja Gauri relief from Madhya Pradesh]]

'''Lajjā Gaurī''' is a [[Nelumbo nucifera|lotus]]-headed Hindu goddess associated with [[wikt:abundance|abundance]], [[fertility]] and [[sexuality]], sometimes euphemistically described as ''Lajja'' ("modesty"). She is sometimes shown in a [[childbirth positions|birthing posture]], but without outward signs of pregnancy.<ref>"[https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/38492 Lotus-Headed Fertility Goddess Lajja Gauri]". [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]]. Accessed 24 June 2018</ref>

==History==
{{main|History of Shaktism}}
Early depictions of Lajja Gauri in [[Shaktism]] were found in the [[Indus Valley]] seals,<ref name=adi/> though her later depiction dates to the 1st-3rd centuries, and her worship is prevalent in the [[Deccan Plateau|Deccan]], a region of the [[Indian subcontinent]].

==Iconography==
Her fertility aspect is emphasized by symbolic representation of the genitals, [[Yoni]] or the Womb, as blooming [[Lotus (plant)|Lotus]] flower denoting blooming youth in some cases and in others through a simple yet detailed depiction of an exposed [[vulva]]. Added to the fact that she is sitting in a [[squatting position]] ([[malasana]]) with legs open, as in during [[childbirth]], in some cases, the right foot is placed on a platform to facilitate full opening. She is invoked for abundant crops (vegetative fertility) and good progeny. A blossoming [[Lotus Flower|lotus]] replaces her head and neck, an icon often used in [[Tantra]]. The seven [[Chakras]] of human energy anatomy are often depicted as blossoming lotuses, and the Goddess is often depicted in her [[Sri Yantra]] as a [[Yoni]], shown as a simplified triangle at the centre. This is a feature present in all the Kohbar Mithila Paintings which are worshipped by newly weds in a Maithil Wedding.

Further, most [[fertility goddesses]] of the [[Ancient world]] are similarly shown headless, while giving prominent focus to the genitals.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090410142517/http://orissagov.nic.in/e-magazine/Journal/Journal2/pdf/ohrj-07.pdf Iconography Of The Goddesses]</ref> The arms of the goddess are bent upwards, each holding a lotus stem, held at the level of the head again depicted by the matured lotus flower.

Owing to an absence of verifiable text in [[Vedic]] traditions on the [[iconography]], she doesn’t seem to hold any exalted position in [[Hindu]] pantheon, despite her strong presence throughout India, especially in the tribal region of [[Bastar state|Bastar]] in [[Central India]] and downwards to the South. The goddess is sometimes called ''Lajja Gauri'', interpreted by some as the Innocent Creatrix, the [[Creator deity]]<ref>''[http://www.tamilartsacademy.com/articles/article14.xml Book Review] Forms of the Goddess Lajja Gauri in Indian Art'', by Carol Radcliffe Bolon. 1992. {{ISBN|978-0-271-00761-8}}.</ref> or at times simply "Headless Goddess", or ''Aditi Uttanapada'' <ref name=adi>[https://books.google.com/books?id=k8y-vKtqCmIC&pg=RA1-PA85&dq=Lajja+Gauri&as_brr=0 Aditi Uttanapada (Lajja Gauri): Creatrix and Regenrator] Images of Indian Goddesses: Myths, Meanings, and Models, by Madhu Bazaz Wangu. Published by Abhinav Publications, 2003. {{ISBN|81-7017-416-3}}. Page 84-86.</ref> by modern archeologist, academicians and [[Indologists]].<ref name=adi/>

The majority of the terracotta figurines were carved in the [[Gupta Empire|Gupta]] and post-Gupta periods.<ref name=adi/>

==Worship==
Icons of Lajja Gauri have been found in different villages, and local people identify her with other goddesses such as [[Aditi]], Adya Shakti, [[Renuka]] and Yallamma.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=rjL3ogbdJNkC&pg=PA5&lpg=PA5&dq=Lajja+Gauri&source=web&ots=hNmLKl0Lxd&sig=yb9h_owFr-6xT-umhEpxAt14y_M&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result Chapter one:Left Halves] ''The Goddess in India: The Five Faces of the Eternal Feminine'', by Devdutt Pattanaik. Published by Inner Traditions / Bear & Company, 2000. {{ISBN|0-89281-807-7}}. ''Page 4''.</ref> A notable sculpture of her dating 150 - 300 CE was found at [[Amravati]] (now kept at State Museum, [[Chennai]]),<ref>{{cite web |author=George Abraham |url=http://huntington.wmc.ohio-state.edu/public/index.cfm?fuseaction=showThisDetail&ObjectID=30031232 |title=sculpture of Lajja-Gauri |publisher=Huntington.wmc.ohio-state.edu |date=1990-01-01 |accessdate=2013-03-14 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120710113333/http://huntington.wmc.ohio-state.edu/public/index.cfm?fuseaction=showThisDetail&ObjectID=30031232 |archive-date=2012-07-10 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Tribal]] areas of [[Central India]], [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[Karnataka]], where the town of [[Badami]], known for the [[Badami Cave Temples]], has a sculpture of the deity preserved at the local Archeological Museum, originally found in Naganatha Temple, Naganathakolla, [[Bijapur district, Karnataka|Bijapur District]],<ref>[http://www.karnatakatoursandtravel.com/karnataka-travel-guide/badami-travel.html Badami Travel] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081209005115/http://www.karnatakatoursandtravel.com/karnataka-travel-guide/badami-travel.html |date=2008-12-09 }} ''Karnataka Travel''.</ref> and has an extant temple dedicated to the goddess in [[Badami Chalukya Architecture]], within the town precincts dating to [[Chalukya Empire]] which flourished around 6th century AD.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Asia/India/South/Karnataka/Badami/photo868895.htm |title=The Lajja-Gouri Temple inside the Badami |publisher=Trekearth.com |date=2008-04-09 |accessdate=2013-03-14}}</ref> [[Maithils|Maithili]] people worship Lajja Gauri during the marriage.She is an integral part of the Kohbar Mithila Painting which is kept in the nuptial chamber of newly weds.

Another arguable interpretation by Dr. Ramachandra C. Dhere in his book entitled, ''Lajja Gauri'' is that Lanja/Lanjika means 'naked', reminds us of the geographical area in Konkan (Maharashtra), called Lanja.

==Further reading==
* ''Forms of the Goddess Lajja Gauri in Indian Art'', by Bolon, Carol Radcliffe. 1992. {{ISBN|978-0-271-00761-8}}.
* ''The Universal Mother'', by Shanti Lal Nagar. Published by Atma Ram & Sons, 1989. {{ISBN|81-7043-113-1}}. Chapter 18: The Mother Goddess as Aditi/Lajja Gauri. ''Page 200''
* Nasim Khan, M. (2002)''Lajja Gauri Seals and related antiquities from Kashmir Smast, Gandhara'', South Asian studies, British Academy, London, ROYAUME-UNI (Revue). ISSN 0266-6030. ''2002, vol. 18, pp. 83–90''.
* "Sacred Display: Divine and Magical Female Figures of Eurasia." Miriam Robbins Dexter and Victor H. Mair. Amherst, New York: Cambria Press, 2010
*

==See also==
* [[Kamakhya]]
* [[Dilukai]]
* [[Sheela na gig]]
* [[Baubo]]
* [[Nin-imma]]

==References==
<references/>
* ''Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend'', by Anna Dallapiccola. {{ISBN|0-500-51088-1}}.

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.shaktisadhana.org/Newhomepage/shakti/lajjahGauri.html '' Aditi- Lajja Gauri'' - A Study]
*[http://www.kamat.com/database/books/womanhood/137806.htm Deity of Fertility and Creation - ''Image'']

{{HinduMythology}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Hindu goddesses]]
[[Category:Fertility goddesses]]
[[Category:Squatting position]]
[[Category:Abundance goddesses]]

Lajja Gauri - Revision history

2603:8000:7A01:DA76:21D0:6284:2117:DFD1 at 05:33, 7 April 2022