Shiwalik Goddesses is a term used to describe a group of female
dieties and Goddesses who are believed to live, dwell, and manifest in the
Shiwalik Hills.
The Shiwalik hills, which separate the Himalayas from the
northern Indian plain, are home to local deities.
Some are only prominent inside their own communities, while
others have become major regional deities.
The Shiwalik goddesses, like all of India's goddesses, are
said to be incarnations of the same feminine divine energy—the Goddess.
Many of these locations are said to be Shakti Pithas, or places
where a piece of the dismembered deity dess Sati fell to earth and took in the
shape of another goddess.
Shiwalik deities are also regarded as family members.
Vaishno Devi, Jwalamukhi, Vajreshvari Devi, Chinta purni,
Naina Devi, Chamunda, and Mansa Devi are the Seven Sisters, according to
Kathleen Erndl.
Nine are mentioned in modern Hindi language sources,
including the seven mentioned above, as well as Shakumbhari Devi and Kalika
Devi.
Along the Shiwalik Range, this group of nine is strewn over
three Indian states: seven are in Himachal Pradesh, Vaishno Devi is in Jammu
and Kashmir, and Shakumbhari Devi is in Uttar Pradesh.
The pantheon here is highly fluid, and the goddesses named
in these lists will most likely change over time, reflecting partially the
success or inability to establish the sanctity of these places.
Kathleen Erndl, Victory To The Mother, 1993, has further
information on the Shiwalik deities and the Mother Goddess's devotion in
northern India.
