TYPE: God of Law
ORIGIN: Hindu - India
KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP: Circa CE 300 until present.
SYNONYMS: Dharme
CENTER(S) OF CULT: none specific
ART REFERENCES: Stone and metal sculptures
LITERARY SOURCES: Epic texts including Ramayana and Mahabharata; Puranic Texts, but also see the Rg Veda
INFORMATION: The god of law who originates as a creator god and one of the sons of Brahma, but almost certainly derives from the dharmas or archetypal patters of society identified in the Rg Veda. According to tradition he is the consort of thirteen daughters of Daksa and tah father of Yudhisthra. Also regarded as a minor avatara of Visnu, appearing as a bull standing for the redemption of souls.
In Bengali tradition Dharme (probably of the same derivation) has been annually engaged in a sacred marriage to the earth at the time of year when a tree known as the sal is blossoming. Birds are sacrificed in a sacred grove after which the tribe repairs to the hut of the village shaman and the marriage is enacted between the priest and his wife, followed by a sexual free-for-all.