Dharti Aayo, the Earth-Mother
Oraon · deity · Oraon traditional religion; continuing · Recorded classification
Dharti Aayo, 'Mother Earth' (also Dharti Mai or, as earth-goddess, Dharani Penu), is the personified earth of the Oraon. She is reckoned, together with Biri the Sun and Chando the Moon, among the representative divine powers that channel the authority of the supreme god Dharmes, and in the creation narrative she is the soil into which Dharmes breathes life to bring forth landscapes and living beings. As bearer and nurse of the harvest she is honoured in the agricultural rites of the village year. In the Oraon myth of origin she appears as the female counterpart and consort of the supreme sky-and-sun god, a pairing that later, Hindu-influenced retellings render under the names of Parvati or Sita.
Domains
- earth soil
- agriculture fertility
Powers
- to bear and nourish crops, beasts and humankind as the mother earth
Epithets
- Dharti AayoSarat Chandra Roy, Oraon Religion and Customs, Ranchi, 1928 (secondary)
Relations
- consort of: Dharmes, the supreme creator (the Sun, the Merciful One)In the Oraon myth of origin the Earth-Mother is paired with the supreme sky-and-sun god Dharmes as his earthly female counterpart, the soil into which he breathes life; in syncretic retellings she is named Parvati or Sita.Sirjana khiri: A Mythic Interpretation of Kurukh Creation Narratives, International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research (IJFMR), Vol. 7, Issue 5, 2025 (secondary)
- subordinate to: Dharmes, the supreme creator (the Sun, the Merciful One)Dharti the Earth, with Biri the Sun and Chando the Moon, is counted among the representative divine powers of the supreme god Dharmes.Sarat Chandra Roy, Oraon Religion and Customs, Ranchi, 1928 (secondary)
Sources
- Dharti Aayo (also Dharani Penu) is the Oraon earth-mother, a representative divine power of the supreme god and the soil into which Dharmes breathes life at the creation.: Sarat Chandra Roy, Oraon Religion and Customs, Ranchi, 1928 (secondary); Sirjana khiri: A Mythic Interpretation of Kurukh Creation Narratives, International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research (IJFMR), Vol. 7, Issue 5, 2025 (secondary)