Jyestha (goddess)

Jyestha or Jyeshtha (Sanskrit: ज्येष्ठा, Jyeṣṭhā, "the eldest" or "the elder" or "superior") is an Elder Goddess in Hinduism with vastly varying interpretations of her attributes depending on regional and cultural variations. She is seen either as Goddess who defeats evil, a goddess of misfortune, a goddess of fertility and agriculture, an evil spirit and so on.

Jyestha appears in the Hindu tradition as early as 300 BCE. Her veneration was at its peak in South India in the 7th-8th century CE. By the 10th century, her popularity had waned.

She was also worshipped by the Chola Kings as parivara devata. In the Sundaresvarar temple at Tirukkattalai, Goddess Jyestha has a sub-shrine dedicated to her . She was seen as a granter of prosperity, also named as Mootha Devi, Moodevi, Thavvai, Settai, Kettai, and Mamugadi in Tamil Nadu, South India .

There are numerous sculptures of Jyestha worshipped in Pazhuvettarayar temples in Ariyalur and Perambalur districts of Tamil Nadu , and more generally her worship was prevalent across Tamil-speaking communities.

Her worship was primarily done by women to prevent misfortune from coming to their families.

She remains worshipped across India in smaller shrines and lesser-known communities.

She is worshipped as Zeastha at the Zeastha Devi Shrine in Jammu & Kashmiri in which she is seen as a benevolent figure created to confront the Asuras and rescue Goddess Lakshmi .

Her worship in Tamil Nadu continues as Thavvai in the Brahma Pureeswar temple in Perunagar, and in other locations such as Rajikilpakkam, Villupuram, and so on.