Historical Period7c CE
Tantric canon c. 7th c. CE; older iconography from Kushan-era reliefs
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Deities
Vaishnavi
Vaishnavi — Fourth Matrika — Vishnu's shakti
Vaishnavi — Fourth Matrika — Vishnu's shakti
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Vaishnavi is one of the Eight Mother-Goddesses (Aṣṭa Mātṛkā) — the tantric set of female counterparts to the male gods. The group originated as a Seven Mātṛkā (Sapta Mātṛkā) in classical Gupta and Kushan iconography; the eighth, Chāmuṇḍā, was added in tantric elaboration. The Mātṛkās are worshipped collectively as a ring of protective mother-goddesses encircling a shrine, or individually when invoked in tantric ritual.
