Geography/Culture: Hindustani, especially Southern India.
Description: Ogre-like, long-nosed, sagging lipped, penddulous breasted Goddess of small-pox; She of the baneful influence; She Who is known as "the crow-bannered ass-rider"; though terrifying of aspect She Who gives gifts to Her worshippers and destroys their enemies; She Who came forth from the second "churning of the ocean"; She of Whom it is sometimes said "She refuses to perform a good deed, or to encourage another to do so".
To Whom Sacred: crow (in India the bird of death, and called yama in some lexicons); ass (which is Her Vahana; sweeping-broom (Her weapon).
Male Associates: She sometimes accompanies Yama, god of the dead.

Titles/Variants, etc:
• She is also called Alaksmi, Unluchy, below.
• Some identify Her with Dhumavati, Smoky-One.
• Also called: Hastimukha, {Hand-Mouth}, below.
• Aspect, or variant of Her name: Jyaya, JY*Y*, ----.
• Alternate name: Kaladi, K*L1DE, ----. Probably something to do with time.
• Also called Kapila-Patni, K1PIL1-P1TNE, ----.
• Also called: Kumbhi, KUMBHE, ----, Who is linked with Kumbhamata, Mother-of-Pots.
• Also called: Mudevi, MUDAVE, ----Goddess, Goddess-of-War. {image SSS 32}
• Also called: Mugadi, MUG1DY, ----.
• The fifteenth (according to early records) or seventeenth (according to late records) Naksatra, Who are linked with Rohini.
• She is also called: Nirrti, Who is linked with Dhumavati, Smoky-One.
• She is known in the 20th century as Sitala, Shivering, below.
• Also called: Tauvai, T9VI, ----.

Geography/Culture: Hindustani.
Linguistic Note: It's interesting how close this is to that archaic exclamation of sorrow, regret or alarm: 'Alack!', explained as Ah, plus lack, perhaps from Middle Dutch lacke, deficiency, fault. ADEL. See also Laksmi Linguistic Note.

Titles/Variants, etc:
• Dhumavati, Smoky-One, is identified with Her.
• She is Sister, and opposite of, Laksmi, Signqv.

Geography/Culture: Hindustani.

Titles/Variants, etc:
• Alternate name for Jyestha, Elder-Sister, above.

Geography/Culture: Hindustani. Still (1977) worshipped in Bengal during small-pox epidemics.
Description: Goddess of smallpox; She Who inflicts or cures the disease; She Who presides over cholera, [cancer] and other fatal diseases.
To Whom Sacred: pine (Pandanus odoratissimus); kikar tree (Acacia arabuca, Her dwelling, which women water, thus, by sympathetic-magic, cooling victims of the disease); tree-groves; ass (or) donkey (on which She rides); a broom (one of Her emblems); winnowing-fan; earthern-pot.
Iconography: a stone, piece of a pine tree, or a clay image. She is frequently depicted as a naked woman painted red, mounted on an ass carrying a bundle of sticks, winnowing-fan and an earthern pot.
Festival: Sitala-saptami, 7th. day of the light half of the month Magha, (only cold food is eaten).

Titles/Variants, etc:
• See also Ambika.
• She has affinities with Hariti, qv Jara .
• Jyestha, Elder-Sister, may be a title of Hers, or Sitala, Shivering, may be an alternate name for Jyestha, Elder-Sister, above.
• The Goddess Sakambhara, S*K*MGH*R*, Symptom-of-Disease, is an aspect of Her.
• To the Tamils She is Mariyammai, M*REY1MI, Mother-Death.