Goddess Chamunda

Goddess Chamunda

Godess Chamunda is fierce in nature and is also known as
Charchika, Chamundi or Chamundeshwari. Her name
‘chamunda’ comes from a combination of chanda and
Munda who are 2 monsters which she has killed in the past.

There are many versions of her origination and reason for
existence. Some believe she originated from an eyebrow of
Goddess Kaushika with the sole purpose of killing the demons
Chanda and Munda. After a fierce and violent battle Goddess
Chamunda was victorious and destroyed both the demons. She
then proceeded by taking the two heads of Chanda and Munda
to show Goddess Kaushika. On seeing this Goddess Kaushika
was immensely pleased and gave her the name as an ode to
this victory.

Some legends say that Goddess Chamunda is a form of
Goddess Parvati. According to this version, Goddess
Chamunda emerged from the frown of Parvati to kill
the demons Chanda and Munda.

While another popular belief is Goddess Chamunda is
responsible for the death Mahishasura in Southern India,
who was a king and according to some, a demon. She then
settled here resulting in the area being named ‘chanmundi hill’
and a temple lies here in her honour.

Goddess Chamunda was originally worshipped by tribal people
in central India. Their rituals involved animal as well as human
sacrifices to the goddess. They also offered liquor to the Goddess
and such practices now fall under the tantric form of worship.

She is often seen wearing a garland of skulls around her neck
which is called a Mundamala (which translates directly into
chain of heads). She usually has 8 arms but sometimes is
portrayed with only four while in other instances she has up
to 12 arms. She is usually seated on a buffalo and has one foot
on a demon below her. This demon is actually afraid of her and
prays to her all the time. She has a skeletal like form and a
scary face with drooping and depressing eyes. She has 3 eyes
in all and protruding teeth inside her mouth. Her sagging
breasts, small stomach and long nails give her a wholesome
fearful look. Sometimes there is a quarter moon shape on her
forehead and she has a severed head and a cup of blood in her
many hands. Goddess Chamunda is surrounded by monsters,
ghosts, animals, beasts etc. They are all around her and are
sometimes depicted as drinking the blood from the cup she is
holding or from the severed head. This shows that Goddess
Chamunda is in the habit of regularly drinking the blood of
her enemies and victims. She is the opposite of the other
Hindu goddesses who are always beautiful and have full
rounded figures.

Her popularity is not limited to Hinduism alone. She is part
of Jainism as well, though maybe in somewhat a different
sort of light. Early Jainism was not open to her since she
drank blood. This went against the principles of Jainism and
opposed their vegetarianism. Later on she is recognized as
the Goddess that Jinadatta and Jinaprabhasuri defeated.
These are both monks of Jainism.