![]() “In earlier times during contagions, when even doctors gave up hope, people used to turn to goddesses and home remedies,” said Anand Bharathi, manager of a temple in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, where a new corona devi idol was consecrated last month. ![]() There have been goddesses of plague, smallpox and cholera through the past centuries. India has a history of worshipping female divinities during times of disease outbreaks. Some have decried the populace’s turn to religious superstitions, medical quacks and holy men even as many disregard a need for masks and fail to social distance during some ritual gatherings. Though the country is beginning to open up, lockdowns over the past months have seen places of worship remain closed. India is seeing a deadly second wave of the pandemic, which has claimed at least 388,000 lives there since it began. When people feel the need for motherly love and care, they turn to goddess worshipping.” “Goddess worshipping is an ancient tradition in Hinduism in India, Shinto in Japan and many other indigenous traditions worldwide. “Since there is no one central authority to decide when and how to add new deities to the Hindu pantheon, it happens on its own whenever and wherever the need arises from the society,” said Pankaj Jain, professor and head of Indic studies at FLAME University in Pune. RELATED: Modi silent on Muslim philanthropist’s offer of medical supplies for India God exists everywhere.”Īcross India, people are worshipping female divine forms of the coronavirus, variously called “corona devi,” or by other forms of respect such as “corona mata” (corona mother) or “corona mai.” Incidents of idol worship or rituals to a coronavirus-inspired female deity have been reported from the southernmost states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar in the north and Assam in the east, all apparently springing up organically and unrelatedly. “The message I wanted to send people is that you can stay at home and worship god. “In ancient times, contagions were attributed to the wrath of goddesses… that needed to be propitiated,” said Namboothiri in Malayalam. MUMBAI (RNS) - As the first wave of COVID-19 spread through India last June, Anilan Namboothiri, a resident of the southern state of Kerala, set up a new idol in his home shrine that he honors as “corona devi,” or corona goddess: The unusual polystyrene figure, resembling the spiky COVID-19 protein, found its place alongside established Hindu deities such as Krishna and Shiva in the 48-year-old journalist’s shrine.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |