Shitala

Sheetala
Goddess of Ailments[1]
The goddess Sheetala on Jvarasura
AffiliationDevi
Parvati
WeaponBroom, hand fan, water pot (medicinal water for cure for diseases)
MountJvarasur (donkey)
FestivalsSheetala Asthami
ConsortShiva

Sheetala (Sanskrit: शीतला, IAST: śītalā) lit.'coolness', also spelled as śītalā and Seetla, is a Hindu goddess venerated primarily in North India.[2] She is regarded to be an incarnation of the goddess Parvati. She is believed to cure poxes, sores, ghouls, pustules, and diseases, and most directly linked with the disease smallpox. Sheetala is worshipped on Tuesday[3] Saptami and Ashtami (the seventh and eighth day of a Hindu month), especially after Holi during the month of Chaitra. The celebration of the goddess Sheetala on the seventh and eighth day of the Hindu month is referred to as the Sheetala Saptami and Sheetala Asthami, respectively.[4]

  1. ^ "Shitala, Sitala, Śītalā, Sītala, Śītala: 24 definitions". 3 August 2014. Archived from the original on 6 August 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  2. ^ Folk Religion: Change and Continuity Author Harvinder Singh Bhatti Publisher Rawat Publications, 2000 Original from Indiana University Digitized 18 June 2009 ISBN 8170336082, 9788170336082
  3. ^ Chaudhari, Ram Gopal Singh (1917). Rambles in Bihar. Express Press. Archived from the original on 11 July 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  4. ^ "Sheetala Saptami 2022: आज है शीतला सप्तमी का व्रत, मान्यतानुसार इस तरह की जाती है फल पाने के लिए पूजा". 24 March 2022. Archived from the original on 17 February 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2022.