Renuka

Renuka, also known as Yellamma, is a

Hindu goddess worshipped
predominantly in the South Indian states
of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana,
Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and western
state of Maharashtra.[3] She is also
known as the mother of Parashurama,
the sixth avatar of the god Vishnu. She
acquired the status of a mother goddess
before eventually being associated with
the legend of Parashurama.[4]
Names Renuka

Goddess of the
Renuka is
Fallen[1]
venerated by a
number of
different
appellations such
as Yellamma,
Ekvira, Yamai, Ellai
The Mahur shrine of
Amman,
Renuka, venerated
Padmakshi as a Shakti Pitha (a
Renuka, and Ellai shrine of Mahadevi)
Amma Mahar,
Devanagari रेणुका
Kannada: ಶ್ರೀ
Sanskrit Rénûk
ಯಲ್ಲಮ್ಮ ರೇಣುಕಾ, transliteration
(Marathi: श्री. रेणुका
Affiliation Devi
/ येल्लुआई, Tamil:
ரேணு/ Mount Lion
ரேணுகை Region South
அம்மன், Telugu: India
శ్రీ రేణుక/ ఎల్లమ్మ) Personal
and is worshipped information
as the goddess of
Consort Jamadagni
the fallen in the
Children Ṛumaṇvān,
Hindu pantheon.
Suhotra, Va
Her devotees Viśvāvasu,
revere her as the Parashuram
"Mother of the
universe" or Jagadamba.

Other names for Yellamma include

Mariamma, Chaniamma, Gangamma, and
Kariyamma.[5]
Legends
Legends about Renuka are mentioned in
the Mahabharata, the Harivamsa, and in
the Bhagavata Purana.[6]

Renuka Sagara, Malaprabha River,

Saundatti. (Belgaum District), North
Karnataka, Karnataka

There are four incarnations of Adi

parashakti (Kamakshi in Kanchi[7]) is
worshipped. Vishalakshi in North Kashi,[8]
Renukakshi[9] (Padmakshi) in West Alibag
also known as padmakshi renuka of
Konkan, Meenakshi[10] in South in
Madurai also known as Meena and
Bahulakshi[11] in East.
Early life

King Renu (father of Renuka) performed

a yajna – a ritual performed to maintain
peace and good health. He was blessed
with a daughter, who originated from the
fire of this yajna. Renuka was a bright
and active child and became the most
beloved child of her parents.

When she was eight, Agastya, the guru of

King Reṇu, advised him to have his
daughter married to Jamadagni when
she reached maturity. Jamadagni was
the son of Ruchika and Satyavati and had
obtained the blessings of the gods by
performing severe penance. Renuka
helped Jamdagni in all of his tasks of
performing various rituals and puja. After
a while, Renuka was blessed with another
daughter called Anjana. 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
fill 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.
Married life

Renuka gave birth to five sons:

Ṛumaṇvān, Suhotra, Vasu, Viśvāvasu, and
Rama Bhargava.[12] Rama Bhargava was
the youngest and most beloved, gaining
the favour of Shiva and Parvati. Rama
performed severe penance and was
bestowed with an axe (parashu), and was
henceforth called as Parashurama (the
sixth incarnation of Vishnu).[13] One day,
when Renuka went to the river, she saw a
king make love to his wives. She was
captivated by the sight, as a result of
which she lost her concentration and
devotion to her husband for a moment.
As she was distracted, she lost her
power of collecting water in unbaked
pots, which she had gotten from her
chastity. She lost the water that she had
collected. Disappointed by this, she
returned to the ashram in worry.
Jamadagni had seen these events
through his yogic power and was furious
when she came back to the ashram.[14]

After being cursed by her husband,

Renuka went east and sat in the forest to
meditate. In her penance, she met with
the saints Eknath[15] and Joginath; and
requested them to gain the mercy of her
husband. They first consoled her and
then instructed her to follow their advice
exactly as told. They told her to purify
herself, first bathing in a nearby lake, and
then to worship a Shivalinga, which they
had given to her. Next, she was asked to
visit 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/
"Jogawa" in Marathi, "Yellamma Jogu" in
Telangana).

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 difficult 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 worshipped by all the people
henceforth." After blessing her thus, they
disappeared. Renuka followed their
instructions with devotion and
worshipped the Shivalinga with
reverence. On the fourth day, she went to
see her husband.

Decapitation and resurrection

Jamadagni was still furious with Renuka

and ordered his elder four sons to kill his
wife, but all of them refused to kill their
mother. Jamadagni cursed his four sons
and reduced them to ashes for
disobeying his order. Then, Jamadagni
called his fifth son Parashurama, who
was meditating on Shiva, and ordered
him to behead Renuka. Parashurama
immediately obeyed his father's words
and beheaded his mother with his axe.
Jamadagni was pleased by
Parashurama's devotion and obedience
towards him.

Renuka temple at Yallammagudi,

Saundatti (Belgaum District).
North Karnataka, Karnataka

He then offered a boon to Parushurama,

who wisely asked for his mother and
brothers to be brought back to life.
Jamadagni was impressed by
Parshuram's pragmatism and brought
Renuka and her four sons back to life.
Jamadagni felt strong remorse for what
he had done to his beloved and
compassionate wife. He then vowed not
to get angered ever again and gave up
krodha forever.

Disappearance

According to a tale, emperor Sahastarva

wanted to marry Renuka. When
Parashuram was away, Sahastarva killed
Jamadagni and his four sons and then
Renuka jumped in the pond known as
Ramsarover. This lake is today venerated
as Renuka lake.[16]

A version among Deori people states that

Jamadagni asked his sons to kill Renuka
to prove their obedience before bringing
her back to life.[17]

Temples and related places

Renuka as Ellai Amman, Chennai

One of the famous temples of Renuka

Yellamma Thalli is located at Balkampet
in Hyderabad where every year in the
Ashadha month Yellamma
Kalyanothsavam is celebrated with
thousands of pilgrims performing special
rituals to get the blessings of Renuka
Yellamma Thalli. The Murti of the
goddess is 10 feet deeper than the
ground level. There is also a well in the
Balkampet Yellamma temple complex
and some devotees believe that the
water in the well heals all ills. Taking a
bath here is supposed to purify one of all
disorders and skin diseases. This holy
water is called 'tirtham'. An Akhand Jyoti
is also present in the temple that was lit
during the renovation.

Every year, there is a gathering of 200,000

to 600,000 devotees at the Yellamma
Gudi temple (Yellamma Temple) in
Saundatti.[18][19]
Three other very famous Temples of
Renuka Yellamma are located in
Mandapaka/Tanuku, West Godavari
district, Andhra Pradesh, Bidarahalli,
Gadag, and Chandragutti, Shimoga,
Karnataka, India. Many devotees from
different regions come to the temple in
the month of Kartik and revere Renuka-
Yellamma. It is believed that after her
marriage with the sage Jamadagni,
Renuka lived in this place. Renuka used
to wake up early in the morning and
bathe in the holy Tungabhadra River. With
complete concentration and devotion to
fill the pot, which she used to prepare out
of the sand on the bank of the river and
would hold the snake which was there
and turn it into a convolution and place it
on the head so that it supported the pot.
She bought the pot to Jamdagni for the
performance of rituals.

There is a famous temple in Kavade

Village of Alibag of Renuka Devi named
"Padmakshi Renuka Devi", where people
also call her "Aai mauli". She is also
known as Kali, Bhairavi, Amba, Ekvira. Her
sister is known as Jogeshwari. Her
mount or Vahan is Vmshatki the animal
made of 20 Guna. She is a newly formed
Shakti peeth and is one of 108 Shakti
peeth. Goddess has been described as
having very beautiful charm and glory on
her face with a loving nature.
A famous Renuka mata temple over 350
years old is located in the Raja Rayan
Dewdi,Charminar, Hyderabad. This super
powerful temple is only open for public in
navratri. It is said that this goddess fulfils
all wishes. Durgaashtami is the most
important day when lakhs of devotees
visit Bhavani mata to fulfil their wishes.

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 finds mention in Devi Gita, the final
chapter of Devi Bhagawatam as,
"Matripura in the Sahyadri mountain; here
the Devi Renuka dwells".[20]

Amravati city in Maharashtra also has a

fairly popular temple of Ekvira Devi along
with a very old and esteemed temple of
Amba Devi. Both the temples are situated
in the same compound and are a very
important part of the city's history. It is
held with great admiration and belief in
the minds of the devotees. People come
here with utmost faith and belief that all
their wishes will be fulfilled and the
difficulties will be eradicated from their
lives. The temples have a rich historic
and mythological importance. There is
the belief that the Ekvira devi temple was
built around the year 1660 by the son of
Paramhans Shri Janardan Swami
Maharaj in memory of his father. Legends
say that roughly 500 years ago, Janardan
Swami used to live in this region. He was
a worshiper of Goddess Amba and used
to visit Ambadevi Temple. During those
days, a stream used to flow beside the
Ambadevi Temple, which is in the temple
area. Once this stream was too flooded
due to Monsoon and became difficult for
Janardan Swami to cross. Goddess
Amba saw her devotee in such distress
and offered his prayers from the other
side of the stream. She came down on
Earth in a different human form and an
arrow miraculously appeared signifying
the presence of the Goddess. This form
of Amba Mata in the form of Ekvira Devi
and her temple building is at the place
where the arrow hit the ground.

It is believed that when Rukmini went to

visit the temple, Lord Krishna abducted
Devi Rukmini from here and then they got
married. People from various cities
throng to visit the temples especially
during the festival of Navratri. The city of
Amravati is also known as Ambanagari,
in honour of the goddess.

One of the temples of Renuka Devi is

Chandwad in Nasik. The temple was
constructed by her highness Maharani
Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore. The second
place is Matripura in the Sahyadrî
mountains.

Another temple of Devi is at Dhamnand-

Posare, Taluka Khed, Maharashtra known
as "Devi Yalubai".[21]

Renugambal Amman Temple

Padavedu, Thiruvannamalai District

In Tamil Nadu, Renugambal Amman

Temple (it is Kuladaivam for Jambu
Maharishi (Jamadagini) gotra Vanniyars),
Senguntha Muthaliyars and other
communities' people tracing their origin in
that locality. The temple is situated in
Padavedu, Thiruvannamalai District and it
is one of the most important Sakthi
Sthalas, another temple is located at
Manthangal village, Ranipet district,
Tamilnadu. The presiding deity here is
called Kondi Amman (worshipped by
Pokanati Reddys settled from the
Carnatic-Andhra regions).[22]

Renuka Lake in Himachal Pradesh

Renuka Lake in the Renuka Sanctuary in

Himachal Pradesh is named after the
goddess. According to one legend, the
Haihaya King Sahasrarjuna (Kartavirya
Arjuna) wanted the Kamadhenu cow from
Jamadagni and Renuka. So for this he
killed Jamadagni, and Renuka jumped
into pond here along with Jamadagni at
Renuka, Sirmour (Himachal
Pradesh).[23][16]

Another famous temple for Renukambal

is situated in Serampattu Village near
Cheyyar in the Tiruvannamalai district.
Thousands of people gather here during
the Pongal festival. Another powerful
temple of Renuka Parameshwari is
located in Tiruchampalli near
Sembanarkoil in the Nagapattinam
district of Tamil Nadu.
One more temple of Ellamma is situated
at the village of Ragupathi Naicken
Palayam of Erode, Tamil Nadu.
Ragupathi Naicken Palayam can be
reached from Erode – Poondurai Road
as well as Erode – Vellode Road.
Although it is unclear when the temple
was constructed, it is understood from
the inscription placed at the temple that
the temple was renovated by the late Mr.
Duraisamy Naicker in 1923. He is said to
belong to the community of Banajiga (or
Balija) of Lingayat Society which has
origin in Karnataka but settled in
Tamilnadu in the 19th century. The
temple is maintained by people of the
Banajiga community now. Maha Shivratri
in the month of Maasi and the full moon
day of Karthigai are celebrated by the
Banajigas in this temple.

Goddess Renuka and Lord Jamdagni

Muni are worshipped 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
most famous being the Jamadagni
temple at Thaan village near the bank of
yamuna and Renuka temples in the 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 affairs 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 week-
long annual festivities in the month of
June are main attraction for devotees
around the region.

See also
Chandragutti Renukamba Temple
Sirsi Marikamba Temple

Further reading
The Village Gods of South India
(London, 1921) by H. Whitehead
 Yellamma: A Goddess of South India
(1995) by Channappa Uttangi
Given to the Goddess: South Indian
Devadasis and the Sexuality of Religion
(2004) by Lucinda Ramberg
Melissa Hope Ditmore, ed. (2006).
Encyclopedia of Prostitution and Sex
Work: A-N. Vol. 1 (https://books.googl
e.com/books?id=fcYq72qYRTcC) .
Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 103–
104. ISBN 9780313329685.

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2. "Story of Jamadagni" (https://www.wisdo

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