Mhalsa (Marathi language: म्हाळसा IAST: Mhāḷasā), also spelled as Mhalasa or Mahalasa, महालसा is a Hindu goddess. Mhalsa is worshipped as the consort of the folk god Khandoba, a form of the god Shiva. In this tradition, she is associated with Parvati, Shiva's wife.
Mhalsa's chief temple is at Mardol in Mardol, Goa, where she is worshipped as a form of Vishnu revered as Mahalasa Narayani. She is worshipped as the Kuladevi (family goddess) of different castes and communities in the region.
Iconography
In the Mahalasa Narayani form, Mahalasa has four hands, carrying a
trishula, a sword, a severed head, and a drinking bowl. She also wears the
yajnopavita (sacred thread), which is generally dedicated to male deities. She stands on a prostrate man or demon, as a tiger or lion licks blood dripping from the severed head. Goud Saraswat Brahmins and Daivajnya Brahmins as well as
from Goa and
South Canara identify her with
Mohini and call her
Mohini and Rahu-matthani, the slayer of Rahu, as told in the
Bhavishya Purana.
Mhalsa is often depicted with two arms and accompanying Khandoba on his horse or standing beside him.
Legends
According to a folk legend, Mhalsa is considered to be a form of Shiva's wife,
Parvati. As per this legend, Mhalsa was born as the daughter of a rich
Lingayat merchant called Timmaseth.
On the divine orders of Khandoba in a dream to her father, Mhalsa was married to Khandoba on
Pausha Pournima (the full moon day of the Hindu calendar month of Pausha) in Pali (Pembar). Two
Lingam appeared on this occasion. An annual festival marking this event is celebrated in Pali every Pausha Pournima.
Worship
Mahalasa/Mhalsa is worshipped as an independent goddess or
gramadevata (village guardian deity). Her chief temples stand in Mardol in
Goa.
Her temples also exist in the states of
Karnataka,
Kerala, and
Gujarat.
She is the
Kuldevta (family goddess) of many Hindus from Goa, western and southern India, including Goud Saraswat Brahmins,
,
Padhye Brahmin,
Daivajna Brahmin,
Kalavant,
Bhandari caste and many other communities.
In recent years, due to the increased popularity of the goddess, new temples have been established in Verna, Karwar, Kumta, Mudgeri, Kundapura, , Shirva, Mangaluru, Kasargod, Harikhandige, Malpe and other areas mostly along coastal Karnataka. One temple is also located in Madangeri, a small town near to Gokarna.
Mhalsa is also worshipped as the consort of Khandoba in Maharashtra & the Incarnation of Goddess Parvati.
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