Kumbha

Kumbha
Kumbha
	The goddess Ganga shown with a kumbha (a full vase)

A kumbha (Sanskrit: कुम्भ) is a traditional Indian earthenware pot or pitcher. It is produced by the Kumbhars (potter) community, who also identify as Prajapatis.^[1]

In Hindu, Jain and Buddhist tradition, the vessel symbolizes the womb and fertility.^[2] Iconographically, it is depicted as an attribute of fertility deities and river goddesses, notably Ganga.^[3]

Mythological origin

According to one Hindu mythological tradition, the first kumbha was created by Prajapati for the marriage of Shiva, making him the first kumbhāra (potter).^[4] A related narrative attributes the creation of the first vessel to Vishvakarma, who created it to contain the Amrita (nectar of immortality) produced during the Samudra Manthana (churning of the ocean).^[5]

Several figures in Hindu literature are recorded as having been born from a vessel, earning the epithet kumbhayoni (pot-born). The sages Agastya and Vasishtha are traditionally described as originating from a kumbha in the Rigveda.^[6]

In Hindu domestic and temple rites, ritual pots termed as kalashas or pūna-kumbhas—filled with water, topped with mango leaves and a coconut, and decorated with intricate motifs—function as embodiments of auspiciousness and deity presence.^[7]

Astrology and other uses

In Hindu astrology (Jyotisha), the kumbha corresponds to the zodiac sign Aquarius traditionally associated with the planetary ruler Saturn (Shani).^[8] The sign gives its name to the Kumbha Mela, which takes place during specific astronomical alignments when Jupiter (Brihaspati) transits through Aquarius.^[9]

In Hindu epic Ramayana, Ravana's brother Kumbhakarna had a son named Kumbha, who was killed in battle by Sugriva.^[10]

The term also occurs as an occupational surname among certain regional groups, such as the Yerukala community in Andhra Pradesh.^[11]

References

↑ Saraswati, Baidyanath; Behura, N. K. (1966). Pottery Techniques in Peasant India. Calcutta: Anthropological Survey of India. pp. 14–18. OCLC 976541604.
↑ Darian, Steven G. (2001). The Ganges in Myth and History. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 112–115. ISBN 978-8120817579.
↑ Darian 2001, p. 125 harvnb error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFDarian2001 (help) Quote: The Kumbha: After the Makara, Ganga's most distinctive sculptural feature is the full vase, first appearing with the river goddess on the same Varaha cave frieze from Udaygiri. Although not common in the early stages of the Ganga image, the full vase appears more and more frequently as the Ganga theme reaches maturity.
↑ The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India, Volume 4 by R. V. Russell
↑ Mani, Vettam (1975). Puranic Encyclopaedia. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 438–439. ISBN 978-0842608220.
↑ Jamison, Stephanie W.; Brereton, Joel P. (2014). The Rigveda: The Earliest Religious Poetry of India. Vol. 2. Oxford University Press. pp. 982–984. ISBN 978-0199370184.
↑ Eck, Diana L. (1998). Darsan: Seeing the Divine Image in India. Columbia University Press. pp. 42–45. ISBN 978-0231112659.
↑ Pingree, David (1981). Jyotihsastra: Astral and Mathematical Literature. A History of Indian Literature. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz. pp. 81–85. ISBN 978-3447021654.
↑ Maclean, Kama (2008). Pilgrimage and Power: The Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, 1765–1954. Oxford University Press. pp. 88–92. ISBN 978-0195338942.
↑ Goldman, Robert P.; Goldman, Sally J. Sutherland (2009). The Ramayana of Valmiki: Yuddhakanda. Vol. 6. Princeton University Press. pp. 244–248. ISBN 978-0691063904.
↑ Singh, K. S. (1998). India's Communities: N–Z. Vol. 6. Delhi: Oxford University Press. pp. 3712–3716. ISBN 978-0195633542.

General

Darian, Steven (2001), The Ganges in myth and history, Delhi:Motilal Banarasidass. Pp. xviii, 219. Originally published in 1978 by The University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu., ISBN 81-208-1757-5
Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 0-500-51088-1) by Anna Dallapiccola

[1] Saraswati, Baidyanath; Behura, N. K. (1966). Pottery Techniques in Peasant India. Calcutta: Anthropological Survey of India. pp. 14–18. OCLC 976541604.

[Darian2001-2] Darian, Steven G. (2001). The Ganges in Myth and History. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 112–115. ISBN 978-8120817579.

[darian2001-p125-3] Darian 2001, p. 125 harvnb error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFDarian2001 (help) Quote: The Kumbha: After the Makara, Ganga's most distinctive sculptural feature is the full vase, first appearing with the river goddess on the same Varaha cave frieze from Udaygiri. Although not common in the early stages of the Ganga image, the full vase appears more and more frequently as the Ganga theme reaches maturity.

[4] The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India, Volume 4 by R. V. Russell

[5] Mani, Vettam (1975). Puranic Encyclopaedia. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 438–439. ISBN 978-0842608220.

[6] Jamison, Stephanie W.; Brereton, Joel P. (2014). The Rigveda: The Earliest Religious Poetry of India. Vol. 2. Oxford University Press. pp. 982–984. ISBN 978-0199370184.

[7] Eck, Diana L. (1998). Darsan: Seeing the Divine Image in India. Columbia University Press. pp. 42–45. ISBN 978-0231112659.

[8] Pingree, David (1981). Jyotihsastra: Astral and Mathematical Literature. A History of Indian Literature. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz. pp. 81–85. ISBN 978-3447021654.

[9] Maclean, Kama (2008). Pilgrimage and Power: The Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, 1765–1954. Oxford University Press. pp. 88–92. ISBN 978-0195338942.

[10] Goldman, Robert P.; Goldman, Sally J. Sutherland (2009). The Ramayana of Valmiki: Yuddhakanda. Vol. 6. Princeton University Press. pp. 244–248. ISBN 978-0691063904.

[11] Singh, K. S. (1998). India's Communities: N–Z. Vol. 6. Delhi: Oxford University Press. pp. 3712–3716. ISBN 978-0195633542.

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v t e Hindu deities and texts
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Mythological origin

Astrology and other uses

See also

References