Mandi

A daughter of Jyeshtha Devi (Moodevi), depicted in South Indian sculpture alongside her mother and brother Mandan.

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

Mandi is a daughter of Jyeshtha Devi, the goddess of misfortune and elder sister of Lakshmi. She is known mainly from early medieval South Indian sculpture, in which she appears standing beside her mother, alongside her brother Mandan.

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, Mandi on one side and Mandan 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 Mandi beyond her place in this iconographic group; see the article on Jyeshtha Devi for the fuller context.

Sources

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

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.