Hidimba the Himalayan goddess before she was Bhima's wife

Variant

Scholars say Hidimba may have been a local goddess first and Bhima's wife second.

At Hidimba Devi Temple, Manali, the rakshasi Hidimbi is worshipped as a goddess; the temple was built (per the page) in 1553 by Maharaja Bahadur Singh over a rock sanctuary with a venerated footprint, and a Ghatotkacha shrine stands nearby. Scholars (Halperin 2019) argue her cult predates the epic link: Bhima is absent from her rituals, Ghatotkacha appears late, and the epic association was stressed after 1971 state heritage branding and TV.

Who: Hidimbi, Bhima, Ghatotkacha

Places: Manali, Himachal Pradesh, Hetauda, Nepal (Bhutandevi)

Where this comes from

commentary · Wikipedia: Hidimbi (Halperin, The Many Faces of a Himalayan Goddess, 2019)
devotional · Wikipedia: Hidimba Devi Temple

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