Renuka

For other uses, see Renuka (disambiguation).

When she was eight, Agastya, who was the guru of king
Reuka, advised him to have his daughter married to
Jamadagni when she reached maturity. Jamadagni was
the son of Ruchik Muni and Satyavati and had obtained
the blessings of the gods by performing severe penance.
Renuka and Jamdagni Muni lived in the Ramshrung
mountains, near the present day Savadatti area of Belgaum district. Renuka helped the Jamdagni Muni in all
of his tasks of performing various rituals and puja. Gradually she became close and dear to Jamdagni. After a
while Renuka was blessed with another daughter called
Anjana (Anjana Devi). Renuka would wake up early in
the morning to bathe in the Malaprabha River with complete concentration and devotion. Her devotion was so
powerful that she was able to create a pot to hold water
made only of sand, one fresh pot every day. She would ll
this pot, on the bank of the river and would use a snake
which was nearby, turning it into a rope-like convolution
and placing it on her head, so that it supported the pot.
Thus, she brought the water to Jamdagni for his rituals of
oblation. (Renuka is derived from the Sanskrit for ne
grain of sand.) Another temple of Renuka is situated at
near Zamania, Ghazipur.

Reuk is a Hindu goddess worshipped predominantly

in the indian state of Maharashtra [1] and the south indian
states of Andhra Pradesh, Karanataka, Tamil Nadu and
Telangana.[2] The Temple at Mahur dedicated to Goddess
Renuka in Maharashtra is considered one of the shakti
peethas.[3]

Dierent names

Renuka or Yellamma or Ekvira or Ellai amman

or Ellai amma (Kannada:
,
Marathi: / , Telugu:
/
, Tamil: ) is worshiped as the Goddess (devi) of the fallen, in the Hindu pantheon. Yellamma is the patron Goddess of the south Indian states of
Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
Her devotees revere her as the Mother of the Universe
or "Jagadamba".

Origin story

2.2 Later life

The legends of Renuka are contained in the Mahabharata,

Renuka gave birth to ve sons: Vasu, Viswa Vasu, Brithe Harivamsa and in the Bhagavata Purana.
hudyanu, Brutwakanwa and Rambhadra. Rambhadra was
the youngest and most beloved, gaining the favour of Lord
Shiva and Parvati and hence called Parashurama (the
sixth incarnation of Vishnu).[4] One day when Renuka
went to the river, she saw Gandharva spirits playing.
These were young couples carelessly frolicking in the water with abandon. For a moment, she lost her concentration and devotion to her husband faltered for a moment
as she was physically attracted to one of the Gandharvas.
As she was distracted, she lost her power of collecting
water in unbaked pots, which she had gotten from her
Renuka Sagara, Malaprabha River, Saundatti, North Karnataka, chastity. She lost the water which she had collected. Disappointed by this, she returned to the ashram in shame.
Karnataka
Seeing Renuka returning empty-handed, Jamadagni became furious and angrily ordered her to go away.

2.1

Early life

After being cursed by her husband, Renuka went east and

sat in the forest to meditate. In her penance, she met with
King Reuka (father of Reuk) performed a yajna a the saints Eknath and Joginath; she prayed to them and
ritual performed to maintain peace and good health. He asked to gain the mercy of her husband. They rst conwas blessed with a daughter, who originated from the re soled her, then instructed her to follow their advice exof this yajna. Reuk was a bright and active child and actly as told. They told her to purify herself, rst bathing
became the most beloved child of her parents.
in a nearby lake, and then to worship a Shivalinga, which
1

TEMPLES AND RELATED PLACES

they had given to her. Next, she should go to the nearby

town and beg for rice from the houses (this ritual, called
Joga Bedodu, is still carried out by women during a particular month in Karnataka). After collecting the rice,
she was to give half to the saints and cook the remaining
half, adding jaggery, partaking of the cooked rice with
full devotion. They said that if she performed this ritual
for three days, she would be able to visit her husband on
the fourth day.

Yellamma temple at Badami.

Knowing the anger of Jamadagni, they warned her that

she may not be fully pardoned by him, and that she would
have to experience the most dicult time of her life for a
few minutes. After that, they said, you will be eternally
revered and will be blessed with your husband. You will
be worshiped by all the people henceforth. After blessing
her this way, they disappeared. Renuka followed their
instructions with devotion and worshipped the Shivalinga
with full care and reverence. On the fourth day, she went
to see her husband.

Renuka temple at Yallammagudi, Saundatti, North Karnataka,

Karnataka

2.4 Renuka vs. Yellamma

In many traditions, Renuka and Yellamma are taken to

be two names for the same goddess. However, there
is also an oral tradition that distinguishes between the
two. According to these tales, Renuka ed to a lowcaste community when her son Parushurama was coming to kill her. He found and beheaded her, along with
a low-caste woman who had tried to protect her. When
he later brought them back to life, he mistakenly attached
the womans head to Renukas body, and vice versa. Ja2.3 Punishment and resurrection
madagni accepted the former as his wife Renuka, while
Jamadagni was still furious with Renuka and ordered his the latter remained to be worshipped by the lower castes
sons to punish their mother. One by one, four of them as Yellamma, the mother of all. Matangi, Renuka, and
refused atly. Jamadagni, who possessed the power to Yellamma are all names of the Goddess.[5]
burn anyone to ashes with his one look, went berserk
and turned the four of his sons into ashes. Parashurama,
who was not there when this happened, found his mother
weeping by the piles of ashes when he arrived and his fa- 3 Temples and related places
ther was still raging mad. Jamadagni told him what happened and ordered him to behead his mother for her in- Every year, there is a gathering of as many as 200,000
delity. Parushurama had to think quickly. Knowing his of her devotees at the Yellamma Gudi temple (Yallamma
fathers powers and the extent of his anger, Parashurama Temple in Google Earth) in Saundatti.
immediately obeyed his father, using his axe.
Another Very famous Temple of Renuka Yellamma is
His father then oered a boon to Parushurama, who asked
for his mother and brothers to be brought back to life. To
everybodys astonishment, Renukas spirit multiplied and
moved to dierent regions. Renuka was back as a whole
too. This miracle inspired her sons and others to become
her followers, and worship her.

located in Bidarahalli, Gadag, Karnataka, India.Many

devotees from dierent region come to temple in
the month of kartik to celebrate Karthik of RenukaYellamma. It is Believed that after marriage with sage
Jamadagni, Renuka devi lived in this place. Renuka used
to wake up early in morning and have bath in the holy

3
Tungabhadra River. With complete concentration and
devotion to ll the pot, which she used to prepare out of
the sand on the bank the river and would hold the snake
which was there and turn it into a convolution and place it
on head so that it supported to the pot. She bought the pot
to Jamdagni for performance of rituals. Another temple
Renukambe [Yellamma] is atop a hill in Chandragutti,
Soraba Taluk in Shimoga. This temple is an example of
ancient architecture and dates back to the Kadamba period. Another temple is in Mahur, Maharashtra, the supposed birthplace of the goddess, which nds mention in
Devi Gita, the nal chapter of Devi Bhagawatam as, Matripura in the Sahyadri mountain; here the Devi Renuka
dwells....[6] Another temple becoming famous is Nalgonda, Telangana where Tuesday is main auspicious day.

Goddess Renuka and Lord Jamdagni Muni are worshiped

in villages around yamuna river in Rawain valley of
Uttarkashi district in Uttaranchal. Many ancient temples
in the region are dedicated to the divine couple- the famous being the Jamadagni temple at Thaan village near
the bank of yamuna and Renuka temples in uphill village
of Devadokhri, Banchangaon, and Sarnaul. The region
has an age old tradition of celebrations in commemoration of the local deities,and managing the temple aairs
and customs. The priesthood is claimed on the basis of
ancestry and merit both, and mainly held by Khanduri,
Semwal, and Dimri Brahmins of Uttaranchal. The weeklong annual festivities in the month of June are main attraction for the devotees around the region.

4 In Sri Lanka
In ancient Sri Lanka, Renuka was the name of a minor
goddess of wanton death and destruction, although at certain times was also a symbol of creativity and vibrancy.

5 Further reading
The Village Gods of South India (London, 1921) by
H. Whitehead
Renuka Lake in Himachal Pradesh

Yellamma: A Goddess of South India (1995) by

Channappa Uttangi

6 References
[1] " " [Mahurkarna
Aata Vikasachi Swapna]. Sakal (in Marathi). September
2010. Retrieved April 2015.
[2] Sri Renuka Amman Parameswari.
2015.

Retrieved April

[3] Shakti Pithas of Maharashtra. VHP. Retrieved April

2015.

Renugambal Amman Temple Padavedu, Thiruvannamalai District

Renuka Lake in the Renuka Sanctuary in Himachal

Pradesh is named after the goddess. According to one
legend, King Sahasrarjuna (Kartavirya Arjuna) wanted
the Kamdhenu cow from Jamadagni and Renuka. So for
this he killed Jamadagni, and Renuka became sati along
with Jamadagni at Mahurgadh, Maharashtra.[7] In Tamil
Nadu, Renugambal Amman Temple is situated in Padavedu, Thiruvannamalai District and it is one of the most
important Sakthi Sthalas.[8] Another powerful temple of
Renuka Parameshwari is located in Tiruchampalli near
Sembanarkoil in Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu.

[4] Sunil.A.Shah (May 2010).

", ,
" [Ciran jv,
auryat, jnan sagam samn Bhagavn Paraurm].
Divya Bhaskar (in Gujarati). Retrieved April 2015.
[5] Pattanaik, Devdutt (2003). Indian Mythology. Inner Traditions / Bear & Co. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-89281-870-9.
[6] Devi Gita; Chapter XXXVIII: The Vow and the Sacred
Places of the Devi The Devi Gita (Song of the Goddess),
Excerpt from the Srimad Devi Bhagawatam, translated by
Swami Vijnanananda (Hari Prasanna Chatterji), 1921."O
King of Mountains! Still I am now telling something out
of My aection to My Bhaktas. Hear. One of the temple of Renuka Devi is Chandwad in Nasik. The temple
was constructed by her highness Maharani Ahilya Devi
Holkar of Indore There is a great place of pilgrimage

named Kolhapura in the southern country. Here the Devi

Laksmi always dwells. The second place is Matripura in
the Sahyadr mountain; Renuka dwells. ,Another Temple of Devi is at Dhamnand-Posare, Taluka:Khed,District
Ratnagiri, Maharashtra known as Devi Yalubai"; Verses:
3-10. Archived October 12, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.
[7] Kohli, M.S. (2002). Mountains of India Tourism, Adventure and Pilgrimage. Indus Publishing. p. 303. ISBN
978-81-7387-135-1.
[8] Arulmigu Renugambal Amman Temple, A.K. Padavedu
Archived January 8, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.

REFERENCES

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

7.1

Text

Renuka Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renuka?oldid=719961344 Contributors: AxelBoldt, Skysmith, Imc, Utcursch, Bender235,

Ifny, Axeman89, Woohookitty, Pantua, Dangerous-Boy, John Hill, Bhadani, Gaius Cornelius, SmackBot, Ganesha1, Miquonranger03,
OrphanBot, Radagast83, Cbhiremath, JethroElfman, Park3r, Madhav165, Bradbeaman, JoeBot, Courcelles, Gonzo fan2007, Brad101,
Discworldian, Ekabhishek, The Transhumanist, Acroterion, Lenny Kaufman, JaGa, Outlook, R'n'B, CommonsDelinker, Pharaoh of the
Wizards, The Behnam, Redtigerxyz, Roland zh, Praveen goud, Hoplon, Vontrotta, Franamax, TubeWorld, Excirial, Sun Creator, Hadrianvs
et antinovs, Ism schism, JenSee, Addbot, Manjunath Doddamani Gajendragad, Non-dropframe, Numbo3-bot, Ben Ben, Yobot, Bkpavan,
AnomieBOT, J04n, FrescoBot, Venuadepu, D'ohBot, Gopaljirai, Jonesey95, Trappist the monk, Jethwarp, EmausBot, John of Reading,
GoingBatty, Vishalvn, Werieth, RaptureBot, JuTa, Ragunathanp, Petrb, ClueBot NG, Jack Greenmaven, Jkwikiuser, Kunalchemist, Helpful
Pixie Bot, BG19bot, MusikAnimal, Mark Arsten, Vin09, 93rdzorro, Smileguy91, PrathamMarathi, Cyberbot II, Frosty, SFK2, Renukayellamma-bidarhalli, BananaManIsHere, Wincands, Ankush 89, KasparBot, Capankajsmilyo, Dongar Kathorekar, Yadumenon007 and
Anonymous: 65

7.2

Images

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7.3

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