Draupati Amman

Draupati Amman
Rain and Child Boon
Draupati Amman idol in Udappu, Sri Lanka
Devanagari	द्रौपदी अम्मान
Sanskrit transliteration	draupadī ammaana
Affiliation	Pancha Kanya
Mantra	Om mahasacaktyai sa vitmahe Vanni tehayai sa timahi Pracotayat tanno panchali
Consort	Pandavas
Children	Upapandavas (sons), Pragiti (daughter), Shutanu (daughter)

Draupati Amman is a deification of the character from the Hindu epic Mahabharata, namely Draupadi, primarily amongst the Telugu and Tamil people of India, Sri Lanka and other countries. Draupati was the wife of the five Pandava brothers in the Mahābhārata epic.

As village Deity

The Draupati Amman cult (or Draupati cult) is a tradition that binds together a community of people in worshipping Draupati Amman as a village goddess with unique rituals and mythologies.

Incarnation of Kali

There is popular belief in South India that Draupadi was also an incarnation of Maha Kali, who was born to assist Lord Krishna (who is an avatar of Lord Vishnu , who is the brother of Goddess Parvati) to destroy all the arrogant Kings of India. That is why they are considered brother and sister although they were not born from the same mother. As she is Goddess Kali 's incarnation ,she is worshipped as a goddess. Being the sister of Lord Krishna, she is akin to the goddess Subhadra

Fire walking ritual

A father walking on fire with his child during the annual Hindu festival at the Draupati Amman temple in Udappu

See also: Udappu

Fire walking or theemithi is a popular ritual enacted at Draupati Amman temples.

Location

There are number of temples dedicated to Draupati Amman in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Singapore and Sri Lanka.

• Reclining Draupadi, wife of the 5 Pandavas. Near Auroville.jpg

  Draupati holding a bowl in one of her four hands

• Reclining Draupadi, wife of the 5 Pandavs. Near Auroville3.jpg

  View from feet of the goddess near Auroville.

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  Reclining Draupati's head - near Auroville, Tamil Nadu, India

• Reclining Draupadi, wife of the 5 Pandavs. Near Auroville4.jpg

  Giant reclining Draupati as village goddess near Auroville.

References

• Pattanaik, Devadutt (2009). 7 Secrets from Hindu Calendar Art. Westland, Mumbai. ISBN 978-81-89975-67-8.