| Matangi | |
|---|---|
Goddess of wisdom, arts, the spoken word and supernatural powers | |
| Member of The Ten Mahavidyas | |
 Late 19th-century lithograph depicting the goddess with a sword, shield, goad and club | |
| Other names | Raja Matangi, Mantrini Devi, |
| Devanagari | मातङ्गी |
| Sanskrit transliteration | Mātaṅgī |
| Affiliation | Mahavidya, Devi, Saraswati |
| Abode | On the periphery of traditional society like forests and in speech |
| Consort | Matang Bhairava, a form of Shiva |
| Part of a series on |
| Shaktism |
|---|
 |
 Hinduism portal |
Matangi (Sanskrit: मातङ्गी, IAST: Mātaṅgī) is a Hindu goddess. She is one of the Mahavidyas, ten Tantric goddesses and an aspect of the Hindu Divine Mother. She is considered to be the Tantric form of Sarasvati, the goddess of music and learning. Matangi governs speech, music, knowledge and the arts. Her worship is prescribed to acquire supernatural powers, especially gaining control over enemies, attracting people to oneself, acquiring mastery over the arts and gaining supreme knowledge.
Matangi is often associated with pollution, inauspiciousness and the periphery of Hindu society, which is embodied in her most popular form, known as Uchchhishta-Chandalini or Uchchhishta-Matangini.[1] She is described as an outcaste (Chandalini) and offered left-over or partially eaten food (Uchchhishta) with unwashed hands or food after eating, both of which are considered to be impure in classical Hinduism.
Matangi is represented as emerald green in colour. While Uchchhishta-Matangini carries a noose, sword, goad, and club, her other well-known form, Raja-Matangi, plays the veena and is often pictured with a parrot.
- ^ Kinsley (1997), p. 217.