Oladevi

Oladevi is believed to be the wife of Mayasura, the legendary king and architect of Asuras, Danavas, and Daityas in Hindu mythology.[1] Devotees consider her to be the guardian deity against the cholera disease, protecting those who worship her against the disease, which plagued communities across Bengal.[1] Indeed, the Bengali term for cholera is ola-otha or ola-utha, a reference to the name Ola ("Ola" means going downwards & utha means going upwards in Bengali to indicate loose motion & vomiting of cholera).

To Hindus, Oladevi is the combined form of the Goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswati, portrayed as a lady with deep yellow skin wearing a blue sari and adorned with ornaments. She is portrayed with extended arms and seated with a child in her lap.[1] The Muslims of Bengal call her Olabibi or Bibima from Olabibi Gan (Song of Olabibi), which recounts the story of the child of a virgin Muslim princess that disappeared mystically and reappeared as the Goddess, curing the sons of the minister of the kingdom and the badshah, the father of her mother.[3] She is portrayed wearing a cap, scarf and ornaments. On her feet she wore nagra shoes and sometimes also socks. In one hand she held a magical staff that destroyed the ailments of her devotees.[1]

Oladevi is an important figure in the folk traditions of Bengal and is considered by experts as a superimposition of the Hindu concept of the Mother Divine with the stern monotheistic Islamic deity, Allah.[2] The worship of Oladevi as the Goddess of Cholera is believed to have emerged in the 19th century CE with the spreading of the disease in the Indian subcontinent.[4] The importance of Oladevi extends across communal lines and caste barriers.[1] However, the significance of her worship has diminished in modern times as outbreaks of cholera have been reduced considerably by advancements in medicine and sanitation.[1]

• Chandi