TYPE: Minor Goddess of Woodlands
ORIGIN: Hindu (Vedic) - India
INFORMATION: Possibly having evolved from a primitive animistic guardian spirit of animals, Aranyani is an elusive, rarely seen, deity who is recognized in the sounds of the trees, particularly at dusk. She is a benign figure, sweet-scented and unwilling to destroy unless severely provoked.
In Hinduism, Aranyani is a goddess of the forests and the animals that dwell within them.
Aranyani has the distinction of having one of the most descriptive hymns in the Rigveda dedicated to her. Aranyani Suktam (Hymn 146 in the 10th mandala of the Rigveda) describes her as being elusive, fond of quiet glades in the jungle, and fearless of remote places. In the hymn, the supplicant entreats her to explain how she wanders so far from the fringe of civilization without becoming afraid or lonely. She wears anklets with bells, and though seldom seen, she can be heard by the tinkling of her anklets. She is also described as a dancer. Her ability to feed both man and animals though she 'tills no lands' is what the supplicant finds most marvellous. The hymn is repeated in Taittiriya Brahmana and interpreted by the commentator of that work.
Aranyani bears resemblance to latter day forest deities like Banbini in West Bengal, Vanadevata in Goa and Konkan region, Vanadurga in parts of South India. Her worship has declined in modern-day Hinduism, and it is rare to find a temple dedicated to Aranyani. However, there is one in Arrah, Bihar known as the Aranya Devi Temple.
She is the owner of Kalpavriksha, the divine tree.
AFFILIATION: Devi
SYMBOLS: Anklet, Trees, Animals
MOUNT: Horse