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Banai ((マラーティー語:बाणाई) , sometimes बानाई), also known as Banu (Bāṇu, बानू) and Banu-bai (Bāṇu-bāī, बानू-बाई), is a Hindu goddess and the second wife of Khandoba, a form of the god Shiva worshipped in the Deccan – predominantly in the Indian states of Maharashtra and Karnataka. Khandoba is portrayed as a king of Jejuri, where his chief temple stands. Some traditions do not give her the status of a legal wife and treat her as a concubine or co-wife of Khandoba. While scriptures related to Khandoba do not mention Banai, she is a central subject of folk songs. Banai is considered as a Dhangar, a sheep herding caste, and is sometimes regarded to be of celestial origin. Oral traditions chiefly discuss the tale of her marriage to Khandoba and her conflicts with his first wife Mhalsa. Banai is an antithesis of Mhalsa; together they complete the god. Banai is generally depicted with Khandoba and often is also accompanied by Mhalsa. Banai does not enjoy independent worship, but is worshipped as Khandoba's consort in most of his temples. She is the patron goddess of the Dhangar community and is worshipped as a protector of their herds. ==Development and symbolism== Though Khandoba is a god with five wives, his first two consorts Mhalsa and Banai are the most important. The tale of the King or god with two wives is retold with some variation across India: Murugan and his wives Devasena and Valli; Venkateswara, Lakshmi and Padmavati being some examples. The motif of Shiva and his wives Parvati and Ganga is told in the ''Puranas''.〔 The theme of the god marrying a tribal girl like Banai recurs across the Deccan region; another example being Valli's marriage to Murugan.〔Sontheimer in Hiltebeitel pp. 323–4〕 Deities across the Deccan (even extending to Kerala and Tamil Nadu) often have two wives; one wife from a high caste and another from the lower social strata: a lower caste or a tribal.〔Sontheimer in Channa pp. 32–33〕 Khandoba's wives who come from various communities establish cultural linkages of the god to these communities, who worship them as their patron god.〔 While Banai is considered as a legal wife of Khandoba in Maharashtra (especially with the Dhangars), the Kurubas of Karnataka regard her as a concubine.〔Sontheimer in Channa p. 35〕 While Mhalsa is from the high-caste Lingayat merchant (Vani) community, Banai is described as a Dhangar (shepherd caste), representing the "outside" and associates Khandoba with non-elite herding castes like Dhangars, Gavli and Kuruba (Gowda) who live in the forest. Some traditions consider Banai as a Gavli (cowherd caste) or Koli (fisherman caste).〔 In Karnataka, she is called Kurbattyavva and is a Kuruba.〔 Banai is an antithesis Mhalsa. Mhalsa has a regular ritualistic marriage with Khandoba. Banai, on the other hand, has a love marriage after being captured by the god. Mhalsa is described as pure, ugly, jealous and a good cook; Banai is impure, erotic, resolute, but does not even know to cook. Mhalsa represents "culture" while Banai "nature"; together they aid the god-king Khandoba.〔Sontheimer in Feldhaus, pp. 116–8〕 The oral legends and texts initiate a process of Sanskritization of the folk deity Khandoba by elevating him to the classical Hindu god Shiva; his two principal wives Mhalsa and Banai are equated to Parvati and Ganga.〔Stanley in Hiltebeitel p. 278〕 Banai does not appear in the Sanskrit ''Malhari Mahatmya'', the main scripture related to Khandoba, however it mentions Ganga arriving from heaven. Banai (Ganga) has a quarrel with Mhalsa (Parvati), ultimately ending with the message that both are the same.〔 Some Dhangars consider Banai also to be a form of Parvati.〔Sontheimer in Feldhaus, p. 127〕 The chief source of legends related to Banai are ''ovi'' (''pada'') or folk songs sung by Vaghyas and Muralis, the male and female bards of Khandoba. They sing at ''jagran''s (a vigil) where the bards sing in praise of Khandoba through the night. The songs talk about the relationship of Khandoba to his consorts and the mutual relationships of the wives. They are centred on Mhalsa and Banai and often narrate about their quarrels.〔Sontheimer in Feldhaus, p. 115〕 The tale of the marriage of Khandoba and Banai is a central theme in many Dhangar folk songs.〔 The Varkari saint Sheikh Muhammad (1560-1650) disparages Khandoba in his ''Yoga-samgrama'' and calls him the "mad" god that searches for Banai due to "sexual passion", an allusion to the tale of Banai's marriage, indicating that the tale was well-established by this era.〔Sontheimer in Barz & Horstmann, p. 39〕 According to scholar Günther-Dietz Sontheimer, the legend of Banai has close parallels with the story of King Dushyanta and Shakuntala from the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''.〔 The tale of another folk god Mhaskoba (Bhairava) to gain his wife Balurani or Balai despite obstacles is also similar to Khandoba's endeavour to win over Banai.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Banai (goddess)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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