One day Parvati, the consort of Shiva requested Shiva to tell her a story. “ Oh lord ! tell me a story that no one has heard before”, she pleaded. Shiva agreed and compiled a fresh tale for her. Shiva closed the door to the bed chamber so that no one else should hear it. While he was closing the door one of Shiva’s minions concealed himself as a tiny fly and entered the bedchamber and listened to the tale sitting unnoticed on the wall.

Once he heard the story he could not contain himself and shared the story with his wife . She then went ahead told the story to her companions with the rider “ please don’t tell it to anyone”. Finally the story got shared among everyone as it completed its circle and reached Parvati’s maid, who told it back to Parvati. Parvati was aghast. How could Shiva cheat her by telling a story that everyone knew? She immediately reported it Shiva and accused him for cheating her.

Shameless goddess!

Isn’t that a strange name for a goddess? And why is she Shameless?

However, Devi Mahatmya a text dedicated to worship of Devi, does not record any such name. Probably this may not be the original name of the goddess whose idols today are referred as Lajja gauri or Shameless goddess.

Excavations around Alampur, Nagarjunkonda, in Andhra Pradesh, Siddankotte in Karnataka and Ter, Mahurzuri , Bhokardan in Maharashtra during early 19th century revealed these strange female idols in explicit erotic postures. These female idols were presented in supine positions, with legs spread wide open, her genitalia and heavy breasts exposed to the viewer’s gaze. However the heads of these idols were missing, instead a lotus flower was carved in place of the head.

While scholars have tried to enumerate who the goddess could be and why she is represented in such explicit posture, here is an etiological myth that links the origins of this goddess to Parvati.

This is a story about Holika, an Asura and how her end was plotted with the help of the gods.

Holika’s death is celebrated as Holi. Her image is burnt to symbolise the end of her existence all over the country even today. In the same way in the southern State of Tamilnadu, they burn an image of Cupid or Kama. It is called the Kaman Pandigai or Kamavilas or Kama dahanam. An image of Kama and his consort Rati is painted and worshipped. The image of Kama is then burnt on the same day and hour as that of Holika.

Many aeons ago, during the twilight that intervened between the Dwapara and Kāli Yugas, all men and women including barbarians and other workers of sin obtained entrance to heaven by visiting the celebrated shrine of Someswara (Somnath in Gujarat). Sacrifices, ascetic practices, charitable gifts, and all the other prescribed ordinances ceased and men thronged only to the temple of Siva. The old and young, those skilled in the Vedas and those ignorant of them, ascended to heaven, until at length it became crowded to excess.

Indra and other Gods, scared and afflicted as they were overcome by men and were nearly expelled from heaven invoked Siva. “O Sankara! By your favour now heaven is crowded with men and we are almost expelled from it. These mortals wander wherever and however they please each exclaiming himself/herself as “am the greatest, am the greatest”. Yama, the lord of Dharma and keeper of their good and evil deeds looks astonished. The seven hells were intended for these mortal wanderers of heaven but by your grace, having visited your shrine their all sins remitted and they attained most excellent life!”