The unsung heroine of Mahabharata - HIDIMBA

The quarantine "season" saw the telecast of many mythological shows and this trend was started by Doordarshan. People started watching Doordarshan and this "mythological" trend was continued by other channels too. So I thought of doing a post revolving around mythology. 

Fun fact :  Some characters of the Mahabharata have temples dedicated to them - the temple of Eklavya is situated in Gurugram ( Gurgaon) , Haryana ; the numerous temples of Draupadi are situated in Tamil Nadu and other South Indian states and similarly, the temple of Hidimba or Hidimba devi is situated in Manali , Himachal Pradesh.

Hidimba was actually a rakshasi or an asur as you may call her, then why is she worshipped? Why is a temple dedicated to her?

Hidimba married the mighty Bhima , one of the Pandavas after the Varnavrat incident where Duryodhana tried to burn them alive in a lakshagrah or a wax palace. Accidentally , the Pandavas landed in a forest which was dedicated to the asurs; the king of the asuras - HIDIMB tried to attack the Pandavas and make them his meal. However , Bhima challenged Hidimb and eventually killed him and married his sister Hidimba. Kunti , the mother of the Pandavas did not support the decision of marrying a rakshasi but due to her far sightedness , she knew that this connection would help the Pandavas later on in their war against the sons of Gandhari.

Bhima and Hidimba got married and as soon as she bore a son , the first child of the Pandava princes , the Pandavas continued their journey.

She was left alone to fend for herself , her son and manage her life alone. She was technically the first woman to be married to the kuru sons but was denied an entry into the family only because she was a Rakshasi. Her son , Ghatotkacha was the eldest son but yet was denied any importance in the family. Hidimba managed to raise her son alone and never asked for any position in the royal family.

Eventually , Ghatotkach , her son and Barbarik her grandson lost their life in the Kurukshetra war - a war which wasn't even hers. She accepted the harsh realities of her life and struggled throughout , sacrificed her son , her grandson and yet wasn't given any respect- neither by the kuru family nor in the historical accounts only because she wasn't an Aryan woman.

So , doesn't a fierce lady like her deserve to be worshipped?

Hidimba devi temple , Manali

Mahabharata revolves around fierce woman like Hidimba , who struggled throughout their life , engaged in tapasyas took stands and fought for the right.

Stay tuned for more mythological posts!

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