Time passed; eventually the king in his impa-
tience to be with his beautiful wife used up his
three exceptions by interfering with her devotions.
Mahadevi then abandoned the king and set out to
be near the form of Shiva on a mountain outpost
some distance away. There she worshipped contin-
uously, abandoning all care for her body or for the
world. She had already begun to go naked in the
palace, uninterested in worldly things; her trip to
the mountain was also without clothes. Mahadevi
is depicted in all iconography as naked, her pri-
vacy protected by her long full hair. Her parents
begged her to return to the king, but she refused.
The king tried to lure her back by converting to
Shaivism, but this too failed.
Though the stories vary, it seems certain that
Mahadevi met Allamaprabhu of the Virashaivas
and joined the sect. She is said to have died after
her visit to the mountain, but there must have
been a long enough interlude for her to produce
her beautiful mystical poetry, in which she finally
found Shiva in a formless reality beyond even the
notion of God.
Further reading: Swami Ghanananda and Sir John
Stewart Wallace, eds., Women Saints East and West
(Hollywood, Calif.: Vedanta Press, 1979); K. Ishwaran,
Speaking of Basava: Lingayat Religion and Culture in
South Asia (Boulder, Colo.: Westview, 1992); A. K.
Ramanujan, trans. and introduction, Speaking of Siva
(New York: Penguin Books, 1973).
akshamala
An akshamala is a necklace of seeds or beads
used for keeping track of a prayer litany, in other
words, an Indian rosary. SHAIVITE akshamalas
are typically made of the rudraksha (Eleocarpus
ganitrus) seed—spherical, brownish red, with a
texture similar to that of a peach pit. VAISHNAVA
akshamalas are typically made of seeds of tulasi,
the Indian basil plant, sacred to Vaishnavites.
Akshamalas can also be made of coral, crystal, or
other gems; some TANTRICS use small skulls carved
of ivory. Many akshamalas have 50 beads to corre-
spond with the number of letters of the alphabet.
Others have 108 or other numbers of beads.Further reading: Kim Kaur Khalsa, Mala Meditation for
Physical, Mental, and Spiritual Prosperity: Yogic Use of
Malas (Prayer Beads) to Maintain a State of Union with
the Infinite Based on the Teachings of Yogi Bhajan (Los
Angeles: Sacred Gems, 1994).Akshapada (Gautama) See NYAYA.
Allahabad (Prayag)
Prayag is the traditional name for the city of
Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh. Prayaga in SANSKRIT
means “confluence,” and it is the place where the
holy YAMUNA and the most sacred GANGES meet.
It is also understood that an ancient sacred river
mentioned in the VEDAS, the Sarasvati, invisibly
joins these two. Thus, this city is considered most
holy because these three rivers join there.
Prayag is one of the seven holy pilgrimage
cities of India. It is said that BRAHMA did the first
ashva medha or HORSE SACRIFICE there. Every 12
years during the month of Magha (January–Feb-
ruary), the great KUMBHA MELA festival is held in
Prayag, attracting millions of pilgrims and devo-
tees.Further reading: S. K. Dubey, Kumbh City Prayag
(New Delhi: Centre for Cultural Resources and Train-
ing, 2001); Anne Feldhaus, Connected Places: Region,
Pilgrimage and Geographical Imagination in India (New
York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003); Baidyanath Saraswati,
Traditions of Tirthas in India: the Anthropology of Hindu
Pilgrimage (Varanasi: N. K. Bose Memorial Foundation,
1983).Alvars
The Alvars, “those who are immersed in God,” are
the 12 poet-saints of South Indian VAISHNAVISM.K 22 akshamala