Mohini the enchantress is the only female manifestation of which male deity of the Hindu pantheon known for his avatars?
"her form to trick the thieving asuras. Mohini also has an active history in the destruction of demons throughout Hindu texts. In the ""Vishnu Purana"", Mohini defeats Bhasmasura, the ""ash-demon"". Bhasmasura invokes the god Shiva by performing severe penances. Shiva, pleased with Bhasmasura, grants him the power to turn anyone into ashes by touching their head. The demon decides to try the power on Shiva himself. Shiva runs terrified. Vishnu, witnessing the unfortunate turn of events, transforms into Mohini and charms Bhasmasura. Bhasmasura is so taken by Mohini that he asks her to marry him. Mohini agrees, but only on"
"other things, the birth of the god Shasta and the destruction of Bhasmasura, the ash-demon. Mohini's main ""modus operandi"" is to trick or beguile those she encounters. She is worshipped throughout Indian culture, but mainly in Western India, where temples are devoted to her depicted as Mahalasa, the consort of Khandoba, a regional avatar of Shiva. The name ""Mohini"" comes from the verb root ""moha"", meaning ""to enchant, perplex, or disillusion,"" and literally means ""delusion personified."" In the Baiga culture of Central India, the word ""mohini"" means ""erotic magic or spell."" The name also has an implied connotation of ""the"
"the front, while the back of the icon is the female Jagan-Mohini (""one who deludes the world"") or Mohini, with a female hairdo and figure. A ""Sthala Purana"" tells that the flower in Mohini's hair fell at Ryali (""fall"" in Telugu) when Mohini was being chased by Shiva. Mohini has an important, dramatic role in several mythical works of South Indian drama like ""Yakshagana and Kathakali"". In Kerala, however, where Mohini's son Ayyappa is popular, the ""Mohiniattam"" (""the dance of Mohini"") is honored as an independent dance form. Named after the goddess, it is a dance meant exclusively for women"
"co-opting legendary figures or saints of other religions within its fold. The deity Ayyappan has appeared in several regional TV and movies as a character, such as the ""Swami Ayyappan"" in multiple languages. Ayyappan Ayyappan is a Hindu deity, particularly popular in South India. He is a syncretic deity, the son of Shiva and Mohini – the female avatar of Vishnu. Ayyappan is also referred to as Ayyappa, Sastavu, Hariharaputra, Manikanta, Shasta or Dharma Shasta. The iconography of Ayyappan depicts him as a handsome celibate god doing yoga and as an epitome of Dharma, who wears a bell around his"
"homosexual, traditional Hindus do not agree to this interpretation. He also writes that those focusing only on homoeroticism miss the narrative's deeper metaphysical significance: Mohini's femininity represents the material aspect of reality, and Mohini's seduction is another attempt to induce the ascetic Shiva into taking an interest in worldly matters. Only Vishnu has the power to ""enchant"" Shiva; a demon who tried to enchant and hurt Shiva in form of a woman was killed in the attempt. Another interpretation posits that the Mohini tale suggests that Vishnu's ""maya"" blinds even supernatural beings. Mohini is ""the impersonation of the magically delusive"
"form of the enchantress, Mohini. Mohini seized the amruta from the demons and served it to the gods. Mohini is worshipped as Mhalasa Narayani or Mhalasa. According to another legend linking her to Khandoba, the god Shiva was enchanted by Mohini. She promised him to be his wife in her earthly incarnation (avtar) when he would be incarnated as Khandoba on earth. According to another legend, Mhalsa is considered to be a form of Shiva's wife Parvati. As per this legend, Mhalsa was born as the daughter of a rich Lingayat merchant in Newasa called Timmaseth. On the divine orders"
"Mohiniyattam Mohiniyattam, also spelled Mohiniattam (), is one of the eight classical dances of India that developed and remain popular in the state of Kerala. The other classical dance form from Kerala is Kathakali. Mohiniyattam dance gets its name from the word Mohini – a mythical enchantress avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, who helps the good prevail over evil by deploying her feminine powers. Mohiniyattam's roots, like all classical Indian dances, are in the ""Natya Shastra"" – the ancient Hindu Sanskrit text on performance arts. However, it follows the Lasya style described in ""Natya Shastra"", that is a dance"
"wear ""chira"" (bark strip) as lower garment, and either be alone or be accompanied with goddesses Sarasvati on his right and Gayatri on his left. Brahma's wife is the goddess Saraswati. She is considered to be ""the embodiment of his power, the instrument of creation and the energy that drives his actions"". In some texts Gayatri is considered as second wife of Lord Brahma. There is no reference to brahma avatar in puranic text, as brahma is not worshiped by hindus. However modern historian quote Haridasa Thakur as one of the avatar of brahma. Very few temples in India are"
"of immortality). Appearing in her youthful bloom, dressed rapturously she uses her charms to seduce the Asuras, who seeking her favors, give her the ""Amrita"" to distribute among the evil forces. Mohini after gaining the ""Amrita"" gives it to the good instead, depriving the evil from gaining immortality. The details of the Mohini story varies by the Purana and region, but she is consistently an enchantress avatar of the supreme in Vaishnavism. ""Aattam"" is a Malayalam language word, and means rhythmic motion or dance. ""Mohiniyattam"" thus connotes ""a dance of an enchantress, a beautiful woman"". Mohiniyattam is a classical Indian"
"by the son of Shiva and Vishnu (Both are male & no possibility to give birth to any one). He granted her the boon of ruling the universe and being invulnerable except by the son of Shiva and Vishnu. Since such a person did not exist, she thought she was safe and began conquering and plundering the world. The gods implored Shiva and Vishnu to save them from this catastrophe. Vishnu found a possible solution to the problem. When Vishnu had taken on the Kurma Avatar, he also had to manifest himself as Mohini, the enchantress, to save the nectar"
"Vaikuntha Kamalaja Vaikuntha-Kamalaja (or Lakshmi-Narayana) is a composite androgynous form of the Hindu god Vishnu and his consort Lakshmi. Though inspired by the much more popular Ardhanarishvara form of Shiva and Parvati, Vaikuntha-Kamalaja is a rare form, mostly restricted to Nepal and the Kashmir region of India. Like Ardhanarishvara, Vaikuntha-Kamalaja is depicted as half male and half female, split down the middle. The right half is the male Vishnu, illustrating his traditional attributes. The icon symbolises the oneness or non-duality of male and female principles of the universe. Unlike the Ardhanarishvara icon much celebrated in Hindu scriptures, Vaikuntha-Kamalaja is mentioned"
"gets its name from Mohini – the seductress avatar of Vishnu, who in Hindu mythology uses her charms to help the good prevail in a battle between good and evil. Mohiniyattam follows the Lasya style described in ""Natya Shastra"", that is a dance which is delicate, with soft movements and feminine. It is traditionally a solo dance performed by women after extensive training. The repertoire of Mohiniyattam includes pure and expressive dance-drama performance, timed to sopana (slower melody) styled music, with recitation. The songs are typically in Malayalam-Sanskrit hybrid called Manipravala. Folk dances and plays in India retain significance in"
"Yakshini Yakshini (also known as Yakshi; Yakkhini in Pali) are mythical beings of Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain mythology. Yakshini (Yakshi) is the female counterpart of the male Yaksha, and they are attendees of Kubera, the Hindu god of wealth who rules in the mythical Himalayan kingdom of Alaka. Yakshinis are often depicted as beautiful and voluptuous, with a chauri (fly-whisk) in right hand, fleshy cheeks, with wide hips, narrow waists, broad shoulders, knotted hair and exaggerated, spherical breasts. In ""Uddamareshvara Tantra"", thirty-six Yakshinis are described, including their mantras and ritual prescriptions. A similar list of Yakshas and Yakshinis are given"
"the Bahuchara Mata Festivals of Gujarat and the Yellamma Festivals of Karnataka, among others. Deities displaying gender variance include Mohini, the female avatar of the god Vishnu and Vaikuntha Kamalaja, the androgynous form of Vishnu and his consort Lakshmi. LBGT interpretations are also drawn in the legends of birth of the deities Ayyappa (a god born from the union of Shiva and Mohini), Bhagiratha (an Indian king born of two female parents) and Kartikeya (where the fire-god Agni ""swallows"" the seed of Shiva after disturbing his coitus with his consort Parvati). Some homosexual Hindus also worship the gods Mitra and"
"Ardhanarishvara The Ardhanarishvara (, ) is a composite androgynous form of the Hindu deities Shiva and Parvati (the latter being known as Devi, Shakti and Uma in this icon). Ardhanarishvara is depicted as half-male and half-female, equally split down the middle. The right half is usually the male Shiva, illustrating his traditional attributes. The earliest Ardhanarishvara images are dated to the Kushan period, starting from the first century CE. Its iconography evolved and was perfected in the Gupta era. The Puranas and various iconographic treatises write about the mythology and iconography of Ardhanarishvara. Ardhanarishvara remains a popular iconographic form found"
"Bhūmi Bhūmi, Bhudevi or Bhūmī-Devī is the Hindu goddess representing Mother Earth. She is the consort of the boar god Varaha, an avatar of Vishnu. Bhumi is the daughter of Prajapati. She is known by various names such as Bhuma-Devi, Bhuvati, Bhuvaani, Bhuvaneshwari, Avni, Prithvi, Dharti, Dhaatri, Dharani, Vasudha, Vasundhara, Vaishnavi, Kashyapi, Urvi, Ira, Mahi, Ela, Vasumati, Dhanshika, Hema, and Hiranmaya. She is worshipped in patala and is depicted as seated on a platform which rests on the back of four elephants, representing the four directions of the world. She is usually depicted with four arms, holding a pomegranate, a"
"Yajna (avatar) Yajna (, ) or Yajneshwara (""Lord of Yajna"") is mentioned as an avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu in the ""Bhagavata Purana"". As Yajna, Vishnu is the embodiment of the Hindu sacrifice ritual or ""Yajna"". He was also Indra (king of the gods) of the ""Svayambhuva Manvantara"", era of Svayambhuva Manu. The Bhagavata Purana, Devi Bhagavata Purana, and Garuda Purana list Yajna or ""Syavambhuva"" as an avatar of Vishnu or Adi-Narayana. Yajna is classified as one of the 14 main ""Manvantara-avatar""s (an avatar corresponding to a Manvantara and who supports the corresponding Indra and other gods to maintain"
"name of the avatar becomes Mohini from the original phrase describing his deliberate false appearance (""mayam ashito mohinim""). Once the Mohini legend became popular, it was retold, revised, and expanded in several texts. The tales of Mohini-Vishnu also increased among devotional circles in various regions. The same expanded ""Mahabharata"" version of the story is also recounted in the ""Bhagavata Purana"" in the 10th century CE. Here, Mohini becomes a formal avatar of Vishnu. This legend is also retold in the Padma Purana and ""Brahmanda Purana"". In the ""Brahmanda Purana"", however, Vishnu-Mohini simply, after meditation upon the Great Goddess Maheshvari, acquires"
"Mahalasa Narayani Temple, Mardol Mahalasa Narayani Temple is a Hindu temple to the goddess Mahalasa, located in Mardol, Ponda, in the Indian state of Goa. Mahalasa is identified with Mohini, the female avatar of the god Vishnu. Mahalasa has four hands, carrying a Trishula, a sword, a severed head, and a drinking bowl. She stands on a prostrate man or demon, as a tiger or lion licks blood dripping from the severed head. She also wears the yajnopavita (sacred thread), which is generally dedicated on male deities. She stands on a prostrate man or demon, as a tiger or lion"
"which is a slow melodic style with roots in the ""Natya Shastra"". Mohiniyattam Mohiniyattam, also spelled Mohiniattam (), is one of the eight classical dances of India that developed and remain popular in the state of Kerala. The other classical dance form from Kerala is Kathakali. Mohiniyattam dance gets its name from the word Mohini – a mythical enchantress avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, who helps the good prevail over evil by deploying her feminine powers. Mohiniyattam's roots, like all classical Indian dances, are in the ""Natya Shastra"" – the ancient Hindu Sanskrit text on performance arts. However, it"
"Pratyangira Prathyangira (Sanskrit: प्रत्यङ्गिरा; ""Prathyaṅgirā"") — also called Atharvana Bhadrakaali, Narasimhi or Narashimhika — is a Hindu Goddess associated with Shakti. She is a form of Adi Parashakti and is the consort of Sharabha. She is described as a goddess with a male lion’s face and a female human body representing the union of Shiva and Shakti. She holds the combined destructive power of Vishnu, Shiva and Shakti. This combination of lion and human forms represents the balance of good and evil. As told in ""Markandeya Purana"" and ""Shiva Purana"", in the beginning of the Satya yuga, the Lord Narasimha,"
"form. The earliest Ganesha images are without a vahana (mount/vehicle). Of the eight incarnations of Ganesha described in the ""Mudgala Purana"", Ganesha uses a mouse (shrew) in five of them, a lion in his incarnation as ""Vakratunda"", a peacock in his incarnation as ""Vikata"", and Shesha, the divine serpent, in his incarnation as ""Vighnaraja"". ""Mohotkata"" uses a lion, """" uses a peacock, ""Dhumraketu"" uses a horse, and ""Gajanana"" uses a mouse, in the four incarnations of Ganesha listed in the ""Ganesha Purana"". Jain depictions of Ganesha show his vahana variously as a mouse, elephant, tortoise, ram, or peacock. Ganesha is"
"Ardhanarishvara several times and regards it the ultimate goal of a devotee to be united with Shiva as Parvati is in the Ardhanarishvara form. Ardhanarishvara The Ardhanarishvara (, ) is a composite androgynous form of the Hindu deities Shiva and Parvati (the latter being known as Devi, Shakti and Uma in this icon). Ardhanarishvara is depicted as half-male and half-female, equally split down the middle. The right half is usually the male Shiva, illustrating his traditional attributes. The earliest Ardhanarishvara images are dated to the Kushan period, starting from the first century CE. Its iconography evolved and was perfected in"
"form of Varahi), appears as the hog-faced attendant of Marichi, who also has a sow face – which may be an effect of the Hindu Varahi. Varahi 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. In Nepal, she is called Barahi. 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"
"women was unfruitful. Shiva informs Mohini-Vishnu that he was just one of forms of his Shakti. Thereafter, their union resulted in the birth of a dark boy with red locks, who was named Hariharaputra. Further, he was also known as Shasta and Aiyannar. In the ""Agni Purana"", as the enchanted Shiva follows Mohini, drops of his semen falls on the ground and become ""lingas"", Shiva's symbols. His semen also generates the monkey-god Hanuman, who helps Vishnu's avatar Rama in his fight against Ravana in the Ramayana. Shiva Purana says that by the mere glimpse of Mohini, Shiva spurts out his"
"form as Mohini, and Mohini-Krishna's widowhood after Aravan's sacrifice, forms the central theme of an eighteen-day annual festival in the Tamil month of Cittirai (April-May) at Koovagam. The marriage ceremony is re-enacted by transgender Hijras, who play the role of Mohini-Krishna. According to mythologist Pattanaik, Mohini is just a disguise to delude the demon Bhasmasura, rather than a sexual transformation in this legend. Mohini is a disillusion, Vishnu's ""maya"". Stories in which Shiva knows of Mohini's true nature have been interpreted to ""suggest the fluidity of gender in sexual attraction"". Pattanaik writes while Westerners may interpret the Shiva-Mohini union as"
"Varahi 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. In Nepal, she is called Barahi. 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"
"Mhalsa Mhalsa (Marathi: म्हाळसा, IAST: Mhāḷasā), also spelled as Mhalasa or Mahalasa is a Hindu goddess. She is venerated in two distinct traditions. As an independent goddess, she is considered as a form of Mohini, the female avatar of the god Vishnu and is called Mhalsa Narayani. Mhalsa is also worshipped as the consort of the folk god Khandoba, a form of the god Shiva. In this tradition, she is associated with Parvati, Shiva's wife as well as Mohini. As an independent goddess, Mhalsa's chief temples include Mardol in Mardol, Goa in the form of Mahalasa Narayani and a temple"
"She is often depicted in the Saptamatrika group in sculptures, examples of which are Ellora and Elephanta caves. Though she is always portrayed last (rightmost) in the group, she is sometimes referred to as the leader of the group. While other Matrikas are considered as Shaktis (powers) of male divinities and resemble them in their appearance, Chamunda is the only Matrika who is a Shakti of the great Goddess Devi rather than a male god. She is also the only Matrika who enjoys independent worship of her own; all other Matrikas are always worshipped together. The ""Devi Purana"" describe a"
"the concept appears in its legends as the various manifestations of Devi, the Divine Mother principal in Hinduism. The avatars of Devi or Parvati include Durga and Kali, who are particularly revered in eastern states of India, as well as Tantra traditions. Twenty one avatars of Shiva are also described in Shaivism texts, but unlike Vaishnava traditions, Shaiva traditions have focussed directly on Shiva rather than the Avatar concept. Hindu deities Hindu deities are the gods and goddesses in Hinduism. The terms and epithets for deity within the diverse traditions of Hinduism vary, and include Deva, Devi, Ishvara, Ishvari, Bhagavān"
"number of Avatars (incarnations): Sati and the warrior figures, Durga and Kali. All goddesses in Hinduism are sometimes grouped together as the great goddess, Devi. The ""Shaktis"" took a further step. Their ideology, based mainly on tantras, sees Shakti as the principle of energy through which all divinity functions, thus showing the masculine as depending on the feminine. In the great shakta scripture known as the Devi Mahatmya, all the goddesses are aspects of one presiding female force—one in truth and many in expression—giving the world and the cosmos the galvanic energy for motion. It expresses through philosophical tracts and"
"Pashupati Pashupati (Sanskrit ""Paśupati"") is an incarnation of the Hindu god Shiva as ""lord of the animals"". He is revered throughout the Hindu world, but especially in Nepal, where he is unofficially regarded as a national deity. ""Paśupati"" ""Lord of all animals"" was originally an epithet of Rudra in the Vedic period and now is an epithet of Shiva. Pashupatinath is an avatar of Shiva, one of the Hindu Trinity. He is the masculine counterpart of Shakti. The five faces of Pashupatinath represent various incarnations of Shiva; Sadyojata (also known as Barun), Vamdeva (also known as Uma Maheswara), Tatpurusha, Aghor"
"of her, the one supreme. In Hinduism, the impersonal Absolute (Brahman) is genderless. Both male gods (Deva) and female gods (Devi) are found in Hinduism. Some Hindu traditions conceive God as androgynous (both female and male), or as either male or female, while cherishing gender henotheism, that is without denying the existence of other Gods in either gender. Bhakti traditions of Hinduism have both gods and goddesses. In ancient and medieval Indian mythology, each masculine deva of the Hindu pantheon is partnered with a feminine devi. Followers of Shaktism, worship the goddess Devi as the embodiment of ""Shakti"" (feminine strength"