Hariti: A Journey from a Child Eating Ogress to a Buddhist Deity

Hariti’s story of transformation from being a cannibal demon to a benevolent mother figure is indeed very astonishing. What is more intriguing is her resemblance to various religious figures across different religions. Hariti’s iconography deserves special mention for its diverse depictions.

A schist figure of Hariti from Gandhara; Image source: Twitter

Hairiti, who was originally named Abhirati, lived in Gandhara. Though married to a Yaksha, Abhirati was a cannibal who fed on the young children of the village. Not a single day would pass without her kidnapping the kids, snatching them away from their parents. This was when she had the name Hariti associated with her. Hariti, in its literal sense, refers to someone who steals. She did this not just to feed herself but also to feed her children. And there were not just a handful of them but a stupendous total of five hundred.

As days would pass, the plight of the villagers would become overwhelmingly unbearable. Fortunately, this was a time when Buddha was residing in that region. Naturally, the upset villagers approached him for help. Heeding their pleas, Buddha while begging across the village hid Hariti’s youngest son, Pingala, with him. Unable to find her youngest offspring, Hariti was on the verge of a complete breakdown. She chose to approach Buddha just like the other villagers. Buddha took this opportunity and decided to offer her help only if she gave up the demonic practice of cannibalism. He made her realize the plight of the villagers who had lost their children. Hariti was utterly moved and she decided to follow the teachings of Buddha.

From here on a new journey began for her. This conversion caused her to become empathetic. She and her children were to serve in the Buddhist monasteries as lay worshippers and in return, they would be provided with food from the Sangha. She became a true Yakshini, a female guardian deity meant to be the protector of a place.

Soon, Hariti came to be worshipped among the people. In fact, she became a popular cult figure in no time. In Hiuen Tsang and I-tsing’s accounts, we find mention of her and how she was a constant figure to be found across almost every Buddhist monastery in India and Nepal. She came to be regarded as the ‘Magna Mater’ and gained significance, particularly during the Indo-Greek and the Kushana periods.

Hariti’s iconography and its motherly resemblance are quite similar to those of Demeter, Aphrodite, or Isis Lactan. She is portrayed as a mother with her children surrounding her. Some are at her feet while she can be seen carrying one in her arms. Hariti’s sculpture from the region of Yusufzai, in particular, is very unique and deserves special mention. It shows her being surrounded by eight children and each of these represents a different ethnography or even a different religion viz. Ptolemaic(Egypt), Phoenician(Lebanon), Zoroastrian(Iran), Hellenistic(Greece), Hindu(India), Buddhism and so on. It depicts a secular perspective. Currently, it is displayed at the British Museum.

During the reign of the Guptas, people began associating Hairiti with tantrism as it was believed that she possessed the divine power of healing diseases like smallpox. So some people ended up associating her with the goddess Sitala. Her legend is also very similar to that of Rakshasi Jara of Magadha who was later worshipped as a Grihadevi. One can find the legend of Hariti in ancient texts like Vinaya Pitaka, Sutrapitaka, and Mahavastu.