Parvati

Shiva with Parvati, 12th Century Chola sculpture, Tamil Nadu, India.

According to Hinduism and Hindu mythology, Parvati is considered to be a mother goddess by many people. Parvati is a word in the Sanskrit language that means "daughter of the mountain". Hindu teachings call Parvati the daughter of the Himalayas Mountains, where she is said to live. She has two sons, Ganesha and Kartikeya with her husband Shiva. Shiva is one of the main gods of the Hindu religion.

Parvati has four arms. In her arms she carries prayer beads, a mirror, a bell and citron. But when she sits by the side of her husband Shiva, Parvati has only two arms. In her form with two arms, Parvati holds her right hand up in blessing and holds a lotus flower in her left hand.

Parvati's conveyance (vahana) is a lion or tiger. This means that Parvati rides a lion or a tiger.

In Hindu scriptures, Parvati is mentioned many times. She is called by many other names. Some of them are:

  • Ambika, meaning the mother
  • Gauri, meaning the fair one
  • Shyama, meaning the dark one
  • Kali, meaning the black one and goddess of kala(time(past,present and future) and death )
  • Bhairavi, meaning awesome
  • Durga, meaning inaccessible
  • Bhavatarini, meaning savior of the world
  • uma, in her pervious life she has this name .