Varahi Devi: Know More About The God Mother Of Varanasi

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"Varahi", or Patala Bhairavi, as she is commonly called in Kashi or Varanasi, is its guardian angel or deity. For Bangalore it is Annamma devi and for Mysore it is Chamundeshwari Devi who are the governing deities of the kshetras.

Every village has a deity to call its own, which protects it from all perils and even warns beforehand of any mishaps and catastrophe. With the head of a boar, and a female form neck downwards, Varahi is the feminine energy of Varaha which is an incarnation of Vishnu.

She is widely worshipped as Varahi Devi in south temples dedicated to her. But for Kashi she is the ultimate saviour. Located at a walking distance from Kashi Vishwanath temple, her temple is open only from 5.30 am to 8.30 am.

Since her sanctum exudes extreme power, it is only the priest who can enter the sanctum to worship her. Many say that the deity for Varanasi is Kalabhairava. But it is only partially true. Both of them are governing deities for Kashi.

As per the local belief, it is Varahi Devi who takes care of Kashi in the night and after morning rituals, she returns back to the temple and rests until sun sets.

Kalabhairava takes care of Kashi during the day. So it is Varahi Devi who takes care of Kashi in the night and it is Kaalbhairav who supervises Kashi during the day.

She is the ultimate provider of justice here and the protector of Kashi. Kashi was originally called Varanasi because the village deity was Varahi.

She is also called Varthali (the messenger of News) because she reports to Lalita Parameshwari about what is happening on earth.

There are certain interesting tidbits about Varahi. Karungalai is a bead made out of ebony tree which is actually worshipped as Varahi.

Varahi provides ultimate justice in court proceedings. But we have to be mandatorily on the side of justice. Otherwise, she may backfire.

Since she is a goddess in an angry form, she cannot be seen directly. One should view her only through a window.

Her yantra is unbelievably powerful as it is believed to protect the devotee against negative energies and black magic spells. It is also a provider of wealth and prosperity.

Hibiscus flower garlands are offered by some devotees the night before and the next day these are offered to the Devi in the morning.

Varahi is a tantric Devi as well who should be worshipped after sunset or before sunrise. She is a ratri devata and protector of Varanasi.

Also known as Dhumra Varahi or Dhumavati. Any priest, experiences a stinging slap on his face when he does not worship her properly.

This is an experience felt by many priests there. Locals have an unending list of miracles to describe to the visitors where Varahi extended her helping hand to avert danger in their lives.

Locals usually are crowded here at this temple as they visit this for blessings in the early morning before they set out for their daily work