Sheetala (, IAST: ) , also spelled as Shitala and Seetla, is a Hindu goddess venerated primarily in North India. She is regarded to be an incarnation of the goddess Parvati. She is believed to cure poxes, sores, ghouls, pustules, and diseases, and most directly linked with the disease smallpox. Sheetala is worshipped on Tuesday Saptami and Ashtami (the seventh and eighth day of a Hindu month), especially after Holi during the month of Chaitra. The celebration of the goddess Sheetala on the seventh and eighth day of the Hindu month is referred to as the Sheetala Saptami and Sheetala Asthami, respectively.
Mythology
The deity is typically depicted as a mother who defends children from paediatric ailments, such as exanthemata and smallpox. She also serves as a fertility goddess that assists women in finding good husbands and conceiving healthy sons. Her auspicious presence promises the welfare of the family and is considered to protect the devotee's sources of livelihood. Sheetala is also summoned to ensure refreshing rainfall and the prevention of famines, droughts, and cattle diseases.
Some 16th-century copies of the Skanda Purana's Kāśī Khaṇḍa section on Varanasi describe Sheetala curing ailments like smallpox pustules:
The earliest Bengali language poems on Sheetala were composed in Saptagram in 1690. 18th-century compositions from Midnapore, West Bengal led to Sheetala's increasing prominence in religious worship. During this period, conflicts between the Maratha Empire and British East India Company led to famines that increased the mortality of smallpox cases.
Name and variants
In Sanskrit, the name 'Sheetala' (शीतला śītalā) literally means 'the one who cools.' An epithet of the mother goddess Devi revered in Hinduism, 'Sheetala' represents the divine blessing of bestowing cool relief from the suffering of fever. The goddess Sheetala is worshiped under varying names across the Indian subcontinent. Devotees most often refer to Sheetala using honorific suffixes reserved for respected motherly figures, such as Sheetala-Ma (Hindi: मां māṃ), Sheetala-Mata (Sanskrit: माता mātā), and Sheetala-Amma (Kannada: ಅಮ್ಮ am'ma). Sheetala is revered by Hindus, Buddhists, and Adivasi communities. She is mentioned in Tantric and Puranic literature, and her later appearance in vernacular texts (such as the Bengali 17th-century Sheetala-mangal-kabyas ('auspicious poetry') written by Manikram Gangopadhyay) has contributed to popularising her worship.
Sheetala Devi's worship is especially popular in the regions of North India specially by Chamars, where she is traditionally identified as an aspect of goddess Parvati, the divine consort of Shiva. She too is said to reside in the neem tree, although she has special shrines and small temples that are in the charge of a devil- priest, usually a Chamar. In some places, like Muzaffarnagar, she is worshipped as Ujali Mata or the Bright Mother. Other shrines are located at Sikandarpur; in Bijnor, Raewala, Dehra Dun and in Jalon. These goddesses seem to have been worshipped for many centuries by the lower castes and especially the Chamars, as has been documented. In addition to being addressed as 'Mother', Sheetala Devi is also revered with honorific titles such as Thakurani, Jagrani (queen of the world), Karunamayi (she who is full of mercy), Mangala (the auspicious one), Bhagavati (the goddess), Dayamayi (she who is compassionate, full of grace, and kindness). In Gurgaon of Haryana, Sheetala is considered to be Kripi (the wife of Drona) and worshipped in the Sheetala Mata Mandir Gurgaon. In South India, the functions of Sheetala is taken by the goddess incarnate Mariamman, who is widely worshipped by the Dravidians.
Sheetala Puja
Sheetala is primarily worshiped by women on Sitalastami, the eighth day of Phalguna, the eleventh month of the Hindu lunar calendar, which typically falls between mid-February and late March, as established by Raghunandana because the long, dry nights are associated with deaths from smallpox. There are many arti sangrah and stutis for the puja of Seetala. Some of them are Shri Shitla Mata Chalisa, Shitala Maa ki arti, and Shri Shitala Mata ashtak.
According to common belief, many families do not light their stoves on Ashtami/Saptami day, and all devotees cheerfully eat cold food (Cooked the previous night) in the form of prasada. The idea behind this is that as spring fades and summer approaches, cold food should be avoided.