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Mandan

A son of Jyeshtha Devi (Moodevi), depicted in South Indian sculpture alongside his mother and sister Mandi.

Accounts of this vary across texts and traditions. This entry primarily follows Puranic tradition, with other tellings (Tamil and South Indian sculptural tradition) noted where relevant.

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Introduction

Mandan is a son of Jyeshtha Devi, the goddess of misfortune and elder sister of Lakshmi. He is known mainly from early medieval South Indian sculpture, in which he appears standing beside his mother, often shown with a bull's or horse's head in Pallava and Chola-period images.

In sculpture

In stone images of Jyeshtha from the Pallava and early Chola period in Tamil Nadu, the goddess is typically shown flanked by her two children, Mandan on one side and Mandi on the other, completing the family group associated with her worship and, later, her ritual removal from the household at festival time.

Note

Little independent narrative is attached to Mandan beyond his place in this iconographic group; see the article on Jyeshtha Devi for the fuller context.

Sources

  1. South Indian temple sculpture (Pallava and Chola period) (other)
  2. Padma Purana (primary text)

This entry is independently written for myVamsam using the sources listed above. Where traditions differ, this entry identifies the relevant tradition rather than presenting one account as universally established fact.