Written by London Swaminathan

Post No. 15,593

Date uploaded in London –8 April 2026

Contact – swami_48@yahoo.com

Pictures are taken from various sources for spreading knowledge.

this is a non- commercial blog. Thanks for your great pictures.

tamilandvedas.com, swamiindology.blogspot.com

xxxx  

I was lucky to visit Pratyangira Devi Temple in Ayyavadi ,very near Kumbakonam , in Tamil Nadu. Earlier I had visited Pratyangira Devi Temple in Raja Kilpauk near Tambaram, Chennai. Swami Santhanada of Pudukottai installed Sarabeswarar and Pratyangira Devi in Skandashram near Tambaram. I visited the temple twice in the past few years. In Skandashram,  the statues are huge. But in Ayyavadi it is of normal size.

Pratyangira Devi is another form of Bhadrakali or Durga. In Ayyavadi, it is part of a thousand year old Shiva temple known as Agastheewarar Temple. When I went there on March 12, 2026 main Shiva temple  was closed for renovation work. But I had good darshan of Pratyangira Devi  in the same temple compound. One can feel the divine atmosphere there.

People believe that worshipping Her, they can destroy the evil forces. Those who want to win in some cases or to defeat their enemies go there and do Puja or Yaga.

On New moon days special Yagas/fire ceremonies are organised. In this temple, there are idols of Goddess Lakshmi and Sarswathy placed nearby the idol of Goddess Pratyangira. Goddess Lakshmi is standing in her Pratyangira form and also in her normal form.

H Krishna Sastri in his book South Indian Images of Gods and Goddesses (year  1916) adds the following details:

Pratyangira has four arms and a face as terrible as that of a lion. Her hair stands erect on her head. In her hands she holds a skull, trident, kettledrum and the noose (naaga paasa). She is seated on a lion and by her power destroys all enemies.

He has published tow pictures and he says, “The lion vehicle is missing in the Tirupparaithurai bronze. The Tiruchengodu statue has the sword and shield in place of skull and noose. And a breast band like Durga. Both are called Bhadrakaali by the people”.

***

In the Skandasramam book, following information is given:

“Umapathi Sivam says in his Kunchithangiri stava:

Yukte Bhagnorukaayam Narahari vapusham khandaperundarupi

Bhhutwaa garjanta magre sarabha kaghapathi: yasya faalaagni kundaath.

Ugraprathyangiraakyaam  dasasatavadanaam  kaalikaam aasu srutwaa

tasyaaH jigvaahra vahnim sutaruvath anyat  kunchithaangrim Bhaje

Angiras and Prathyangiras were the two ascetics who found out the mantra of this deity. The potency of the mantra is so high that one should not have any ill feelings towards the one who chants it.

She had sent Veerabhdra to violently interrupt and break up the sacrificial fire performed by Daksha, accompanied by Pratyangira. The mantras tell us she is but the embodiment of the wrath of Parvathi.

As Indrajit (in Ramayana) felt that he could not defeat Rama and Lakshmana in the battle, he got up to a sacrificial fire with the chanting of the Pratyangira mantra in the Nigumbala. On knowing this Lakshmana went there and broke it up”.

The book gives also the Mantras for this deity in Sanskrit. Any one interested in it may go through the book. It is in Devanagari lipi. ( I have one copy of the book)

Chennai Sri Skandasramam

Splendour and Vision

Published by Swayamprakasa Awadhuta Trust, Pudukkottai.

Available in Chennai, Salem and Pudukottai where the trust have centres.

***

Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology published by Hamlyn has a colour picture of the goddess with the following caption:

“Durga Pratyangira: one of the terrifying forms assumed by Siva’s wife.The goddess is seated on a jewelled Padmasana holding her husband’s trident, sword and drum and a bowl for blood. Her name, in this south Indian representation, has Tantric associations while her form as Kaali is seen in the long teeth and the tongues of fire. Kali in Vedic times is the name of Fire God’s black terrifying flame.  (Tricinopoly Painting, Nineteenth Century A D)”

***

In the Shaiva tradition, Shiva assumed the form of Sharabha, a bird-lion hybrid form with two wings of Shakti in the form of Shulini Devi and Pratyangira Devi to calm down Narasimha. Seeing this, Narasimha created Gandaberunda, a powerful two-headed bird, to fight Sharabha. Seeing that the fight between Sharabha and Gandaberunda was terrorizing the world, Pratyangira in her ugra form was released from the third eye of Sharabha. The war ended with Pratyangira’s roar. Narasimha resumed his Satvik form, and thus Dharma in the world was restored.

***

Wisdom lib.org gives following information about the goddess:

Pratyangira is endowed with four arms and a face as terrible as that of a lion. Her head is that of a male lion and her body is that of a human-female. Her hair stands erect on her head. In her hands she holds a skull, trident, Damaru and the noose (nagapasa). She is seated on a lion and by her power destroys all enemies.

In Tantric worship, Pratyangira is shown with a dark complexion, ferocious in aspect, having a lion’s face with reddened eyes and riding a lion wearing black garments, she wears a garland of human skulls; her hair strands on end, and she holds a trident, a serpent in the form of a noose, a hand-drum and a skull in her four hands. She is also associated with Bhairava, as Atharvana-Bhadra-Kali.

Pratyaṅgirā (प्रत्यङ्गिरा) is a form of Kālī and identified with Goddess Tvaritā, according to the Kulakaulinīmata verse 3.310.—Tvaritā is also identified as Pratyaṅgirā, a form of Kālī.

–subham—

Tags- Pratyangira devi, Ayyavadi temple, Chennai Skandasram temple,  London swaminathan , images of Pratyangira