Chāmuṇḍā

 

Chamunda Devi

 

The deity Chāmuṇḍā is today popularly associated with Aṣṭādaśabhujī Durgā of Saptaśatī. However, it must be noted that even before the popularity of Saptaśatī and Navākṣarī or Navārṇa mantra, Chāmuṇḍā had her own system of upāsanā transmitted from Kāmarūpa deśa to Koṅkaṇa. She was worshiped using several mantras and also forms such as Raktachāmuṇḍā, Lavaṇachāmuṇḍā, Ugrachāmuṇḍā, etc. The secrets of Mahāvidyā Chāmuṇḍā were transmitted by Bhagavatī herself through Shiva who appeared as Chāmuṇḍānandanātha on Vindhyādri.

The Gurumaṇḍala of Chāmuṇḍā is listed thus:

Chāmuṇḍeśvaryambā
Chāmuṇḍeśvarānandanātha
Indrānandanātha
Surānandanātha
Sarvabhāṣaṇānandanātha
Mahāsaṃhārānandanātha
Virūpākṣānandanātha
Matsyendrānandanātha
Nirmalānandanātha
Vartmānandanātha
Sarvabhakṣaṇānandanātha
Koṅkaṇānandanātha

Koṅkaṇānandanātha is said to have established a shrine dedicated to this Mahāvidyā in Tulunāḍu in Karnataka, somewhere near the famous Durgā kṣetra of Kaṭīl. Various families in Karṇāṭa and Kerala are known for the upāsanā of Chāmuṇḍā even today. Our elderly acquaintance, the now-departed Sri Subraya Tantri, was a lineage holder of this line of transmission.

 

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