Bhuma Devi
Encyclopedia
Bhūmi also Bhūmī-Devī is the divine wife of Varaha
Varaha
Varaha is the third Avatar of the Hindu Godhead Vishnu, in the form of a Boar. He appeared in order to defeat Hiranyaksha, a demon who had taken the Earth and carried it to the bottom of what is described as the cosmic ocean in the story. The battle between Varaha and Hiranyaksha is believed to...

, an Avatar
Avatar
In Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....

 of Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....

. She is the representative goddess, Mother Earth. According to Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...

 mythology, the divine saint Andal
Andal
Andal is the the only female Alvar of the 12 Alvar saints of South India, who are known for their affiliation to Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. She is credited with the great Tamil works of Thirupavai and Nachiar Tirumozhi that are still recited by devotees during the Winter festival season of...

 is a form of her. The demon Narakasura
Narakasura
In Hindu beliefs, Narakasura or Naraka is the asura son of the earth goddess Bhudevi and Lord Vishnu in his Varaha Avatar . In other sources, he is the son of the asura Hiranyaksha. He is said to have established the kingdom of Pragjyotisha in Assam after overthrowing the last of the Danava king...

 is her son. She is the mother of Sita
SITA
SITA is a multinational information technology company specialising in providing IT and telecommunication services to the air transport industry...

, (note the symbolism of the baby Sita being found in a ploughed field). According to the uttara-kanda, when Sita finally leaves her husband Rama
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...

, she returns to Bhumidevi. Bhumi Devi is also believed to be one of the two forms of Lakshmi
Lakshmi
Lakshmi or Lakumi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity , light, wisdom, fortune, fertility, generosity and courage; and the embodiment of beauty, grace and charm. Representations of Lakshmi are also found in Jain monuments...

. The other is Sridevi, who remains with Narayana
Narayana
Narayana or Narayan or Naraina is an important Sanskrit name for Vishnu, and in many contemporary vernaculars a common Indian name. Narayana is also identified as the original man, Purusha. The Puranas present divergent views on Narayana...

. Bhudevi is the Goddess of Earth, and the fertility form of Lakshmi. She is Daughter of Kashyap
Kashyap
Kashyapa was an ancient sage , who is one of the Saptarshis in the present Manvantara; with others being Atri, Vashishtha, Vishvamitra, Gautama, Jamadagni, Bharadwaja...

 Prajapati
Prajapati
In Hinduism, Prajapati "lord of creatures" is a Hindu deity presiding over procreation, and protector of life. He appears as a creator deity or supreme God Viswakarma Vedic deities in RV 10 and in Brahmana literature...

 and known as kasyapi.She is Satyabhama
Satyabhama
Satyabhama is the third wife of Lord Krishna, known for her strong will and tantrums.She is believed to be a partial avatar of Bhudevi.-Marriage:...

, wife of Sri Krishna in Dwapara Yuga.
Several female deities have had births similar to Sita. Alamelu Mangamma
Alamelu
Alamelu also known as Alamelmanga and Padmavati , is a Hindu devi. Believed to be a form of Lakshmi, the Hindu devi of wealth and good fortune, Alamelu is the consort of Sri Venkateshwara...

 or Sri Padmavathi Devi of Tiruchanur
Tiruchanur
Tiruchanur is the third largest Suburban of Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh, India.Pilgrimage to Tirupati is incomplete without a visit to Sri Padmavati Ammavari temple at Trichanur. Sri Padmavati is the divine consort of Lord Venkateswara Swamy. As Goddess Padmavati, a manifestation of Goddess...

 had a similar beginning, being found in a ploughed field by Akasa Raja. Andal
Andal
Andal is the the only female Alvar of the 12 Alvar saints of South India, who are known for their affiliation to Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. She is credited with the great Tamil works of Thirupavai and Nachiar Tirumozhi that are still recited by devotees during the Winter festival season of...

 from Srivilliputtur in Tamilnadu was found under a Tulasi plant by Perialvar.

Iconography

She is depicted in votive statuary, seated on a square platform which rests on the back of four elephants representing the four corners of the world. When depicted with four arms, she holds a pomegranate, a water vessel, a bowl containing healing herbs, and another containing vegetables. When shown with two arms, she holds a blue lotus known as Komud or Uttpal the night lotus, in the right hand. The left hand may be in the Abhaya Mudra
Mudra
A mudrā is a symbolic or ritual gesture in Hinduism and Buddhism. While some mudrās involve the entire body, most are performed with the hands and fingers...

- fearlessness or the Lolahasta Mudra which is an aesthetic pose meant to mimic the tail of a cow.
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