Hidimba Devi (Hidimbi)

Hidimba Devi (Hidimbi) is a Goddess that is primarily worshiped in the state of Himachal Pradesh. She is not an orthodox deity and she is from the race of rakshashas (giants) who according to the Puranas are the descendants of the Sage Kashyapa, one of the 7 Saptarishis (according to the Mahabharata) i.e. the 7 sages who remain constant in each manvantara and the daughter of Daksha (one of the 10 manasa putras or those who were born from Brahma’s intellect) and Krodhavasha.

An interesting fact about the rakshashas is that, in addition to being gifted with tremendous strength, they also have the ability, though they look ferocious and intimidating in their natural state, to take human shape and form or assume any form that they desire, and they may appear as either male or female. In more contemporary terms, they are shape-shifters.

Hdimba Devi’s story starts in the Mahabharata and she is a Goddess who surfaces towards the end of Dwapara Yuga and at the start of Kali Yuga.

In the story, after the Pandavas escape from Lakshagraha (a house built from highly flammable material that was designed to be a death-trap) they found themselves in a dense forest occupied by Hidimba (male) and Hidimbi (female), who were siblings.

Rakshashas, in addition to being savage looking also feed on human flesh and sensing that the Pandavas had entered their forest, Hidimba sends his sister to lure them into a trap. Hidimbi takes the form of a sultry woman and makes her way to where the Pandavas are resting.

She soon stumbles across Bhima or the second of the Pandava brothers and she instantly falls in love with him and instead of luring him into a trap, like she was supposed to, she asks him to marry her but not before revealing her true identity.

Bhima agrees to do so and with Hidimbi’s help he manages to kill Hidimba. The pair marry soon after and are gifted with a son, Ghatotkacha, who was later conscripted to fight along with the rest of the Pandavas in Kurukshetra where he meets his end in the hands of Karna.

Because of her nature she is a strong Goddess, forceful in her approach and therefore diligent worship will reward the devotee with both mental and physical strength.

Her temple is located in Himachal Pradesh and it is built, according to most sources at the spot where she sat in deep meditation, in Manali. It was built in 1553 but remains stolid until today.

Copyright © 2020 by Dyarne Ward and Kathiresan Ramachanderam