Mahamaya

Glossaries

Term	Definition
Mahamaya	Mahamaya is a name of the Great Goddess in several Hindu traditions, particularly Shaktism and Tantra. She personifies the divine power through which the manifested world is produced, sustained and transformed. At Hirapur, Mahamaya is the principal deity associated with the Temple of the Sixty-Four Joginis. The name Mahamaya derives from the Sanskrit Mahāmāyā. It combines mahā, meaning “great” or “supreme”, with māyā, a term that may denote manifestation, magic, appearance or illusion. “Great Illusion” is a common translation, but it conveys only part of the concept. In goddess-centred traditions, Mahamaya is not merely the illusion that conceals reality; she is also the power that causes the universe and its multiplicity to appear. In the Devi Mahatmya, a Sanskrit text devoted to the greatness of the Goddess, Mahamaya is presented as a personified cosmic power. She initially appears as the divine sleep of Vishnu. At the request of the gods, she withdraws from him, enabling him to awaken and confront the demons Madhu and Kaitabha. The text connects supreme feminine reality with māyā, shakti, or divine power, and prakriti, primordial nature or matter. Shakta theology commonly treats Mahamaya as a name or manifestation of Mahadevi, the Great Goddess. Depending on the text, region and sanctuary, she may be identified with Durga, Kali, Parvati, Chandi or another form of the Goddess. These names are not universally interchangeable: each may express a particular function, appearance or theological interpretation. Mahamaya has an ambivalent role. She is the power responsible for appearance, attachment and misapprehension, but she may also grant knowledge and liberation. She both manifests and conceals reality. This dual function is especially relevant to Tantric traditions, in which material existence, the body and divine energy are understood as interconnected rather than completely separate domains. At the Chausathi Jogini Temple in Hirapur, Mahamaya holds a central position in the worship of the Joginis. The sanctuary is therefore also known as the Mahamaya Temple. The Joginis may be interpreted as individual manifestations, powers or members of the Goddess’s divine circle. The precise form of the medieval rituals performed at Hirapur is not established by surviving inscriptions or contemporary records. In Buddhism, Mahamaya is also a name used for Mayadevi, the mother of Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha. Tantric Buddhism additionally includes a deity named Mahamaya. These Buddhist uses are distinct from the Hindu Great Goddess worshipped under the same name.

Term

Definition

Mahamaya is a name of the Great Goddess in several Hindu traditions, particularly Shaktism and Tantra. She personifies the divine power through which the manifested world is produced, sustained and transformed. At Hirapur, Mahamaya is the principal deity associated with the Temple of the Sixty-Four Joginis.

The name Mahamaya derives from the Sanskrit Mahāmāyā. It combines mahā, meaning “great” or “supreme”, with māyā, a term that may denote manifestation, magic, appearance or illusion. “Great Illusion” is a common translation, but it conveys only part of the concept. In goddess-centred traditions, Mahamaya is not merely the illusion that conceals reality; she is also the power that causes the universe and its multiplicity to appear.

In the Devi Mahatmya, a Sanskrit text devoted to the greatness of the Goddess, Mahamaya is presented as a personified cosmic power. She initially appears as the divine sleep of Vishnu. At the request of the gods, she withdraws from him, enabling him to awaken and confront the demons Madhu and Kaitabha. The text connects supreme feminine reality with māyā, shakti, or divine power, and prakriti, primordial nature or matter.

Shakta theology commonly treats Mahamaya as a name or manifestation of Mahadevi, the Great Goddess. Depending on the text, region and sanctuary, she may be identified with Durga, Kali, Parvati, Chandi or another form of the Goddess. These names are not universally interchangeable: each may express a particular function, appearance or theological interpretation.

Mahamaya has an ambivalent role. She is the power responsible for appearance, attachment and misapprehension, but she may also grant knowledge and liberation. She both manifests and conceals reality. This dual function is especially relevant to Tantric traditions, in which material existence, the body and divine energy are understood as interconnected rather than completely separate domains.

At the Chausathi Jogini Temple in Hirapur, Mahamaya holds a central position in the worship of the Joginis. The sanctuary is therefore also known as the Mahamaya Temple. The Joginis may be interpreted as individual manifestations, powers or members of the Goddess’s divine circle. The precise form of the medieval rituals performed at Hirapur is not established by surviving inscriptions or contemporary records.

In Buddhism, Mahamaya is also a name used for Mayadevi, the mother of Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha. Tantric Buddhism additionally includes a deity named Mahamaya. These Buddhist uses are distinct from the Hindu Great Goddess worshipped under the same name.