Khadiravani
Khadiravani
ALSO KNOWN AS:
Tara of the Forest
Khadiravani, Lady of the Acacia Forest, protects from all danger. She removes obstacles from the paths of devotees. She is fearless and is invoked to banish any evil. Khadiravani breaks malicious spells and faces down any malignant spirit or ghost.
Who is she? Khadiravani is now mainly identified with Tara and sometimes called the 22nd Tara; the one who comes after the twenty-one official manifestations. She may be a manifestation of Green Tara and is sometimes called the Emerald Tara, referring both to the precious gem and the green leaves of the forest in which Khadiravani dwells. There is no documentation of this form of Tara before the 9th century; no image crafted before the 10th century has been found. Previously she was a completely independent, unafilliated spirit.
Khadira literally means acacia, among the most popular of Himalayan shamanic plants. Italso refers to a widely diffused Tantric manual. There are two theories regarding Khadiravani’s identity; they are not mutually exclusive:
• Khadiravani may be an indigenous Bon spirit eventually identified with Tara
• Khadiravani may be a path of Green Tara who, according to legend, appeared to Buddhist scholar and teacher, Nagarjuna in a Khadira forest in southern India
Spirit allies:
Khadiravani is frequently accompanied by Marici and Ekajata (Blue Tara)
Realm: Khadiravani is associated with actual forests but also presides over a mystical forest paradise, filled with glorious trees (acacia, sandalwood, fig, nutmeg, clove, banyan) and an abundance of creatures, specifically peacocks, parrots, tigers, leopards, bear, deer, jackals and monkeys.
ATTRIBUTE:
Blue lotus
SEE ALSO:
Bon Spirits; Ekajata; Lady of the Beasts; Marichi; Tara (1); Tara (2); Tara, Green
SOURCE:
Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses – Written by : Judika Illes Copyright © 2009 by Judika Illes.
