Naigamesha

Naigamesha (Sanskrit: नैगमेष, romanized: Naigameṣa), also known as Harinegameshi, is a goat-headed or deer-headed deity, associated with children.According to the Śvetāmbara text Neminanathacharita, which recalls the life of the Tirthankara Neminatha, Krishna – a cousin of Neminatha and generally venerated as Hindu deity – worships Naigamesha to beget a son from his second wife Satyabhama; a son who equals his first-born Pradyumna, from his first wife Rukmini.[5] Depictions of Naigamesha are rare and are generally confined to North India and the pre-third century era.The group of seven Hindu mother-goddesses, the Saptamatrika – who are associated with children – are surrounded by their usual companions Shiva and Ganesha as well as Naigamesha.[7] Besides his goat-head, Naigamesha may also be shown having a deer head and may be depicted transferring the embryo of Mahavira in narrative panels.

Harinegameshi carrying the embryo, fragment of a leaf from a dispersed Kalpasutra , Brooklyn Museum

Naigamesha, Mathura Museum , Kushan Empire , 1st-3rd century CE. ^{[

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Naigamesha (left) looks over Mahavira's birth; the infant Mahavira is held in his mother's arms. Folio from the Kalpa Sutra (1450–1500).

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