Shaivya (wife of Harishchandra)
Shaivya, also known as Taramati, is a queen in Hindu mythology, best known as the wife of King Harishchandra of Ayodhya and mother of his sole heir, Rohitashva. Her story particularly appears in the Sanskrit texts Markandeya Purana and Devi Bhagvata Purana, where she is portrayed as a loyal and long-suffering queen who endures severe hardships alongside her husband during his divinely orchestrated trials by the wrathful sage, Vishvamitra.
According to the legend, when her husband, King Harishchandra, incurs the wrath of the sage Vishvamitra and is compelled to relinquish his kingdom and wealth, Shaivya remains by his side as they descend into poverty. When Vishvamitra demands further offerings, it is Shaivya who proposes selling herself to a wealthy Brahmin so that her husband can fulfill the sage’s demands. She endures severe hardship, including verbal abuse and physical mistreatment during her servitude. Her trials reach a climax when her son dies from a snake bite. In a state of grief and dishevelment, Shaivya unknowingly approaches her husband—now employed as a crematorium attendant—to seek permission for the funeral rites. Bound by his duties, he refuses to proceed without the required payment. They bewail their misfortunes and decide to immolate themselves on their son’s funeral pile. Ultimately, the gods and Vishvamitra—who have been testing the couple’s virtue—are moved by their unwavering moral integrity, and Shaivya and her family are restored to honor and granted entry into heaven.
In Marathi devotional literature, particularly the Vārkarī interpretations of Harishchandra narratives, Shaivya is known as Taramati, a name that gained enduring popularity in western India and later in modern period. These narratives elevated her role, emphasizing her spiritual strength, endurance, and unwavering virtue, often paralleling her trials with devotional ideals of sattva and bhakti. Shaivya remains a popular tragic heroine in Indian cultural memory and features prominently in numerous adaptations of the Harishchandra legend, including Raja Harishchandra, India’s first full-length feature film.
Names
The Sanskrit term Śaivyā is derived from the term Śaivya—an ethnonymic adjective stemming from Śivi, the name of an ancient and celebrated royal figure or tribe. The suffix -ya or -īya in Sanskrit commonly denotes "descended from" or "related to," thereby rendering Śaivya as meaning “of the Śivis” or “descendant of Śivi.” The name is not exclusive to the wife of King Harishchandra in Sanskrit literature and has also been used for several other princesses from the Śivi lineage.The Devi-Bhagavata Purana introduces another name for the figure, in addition to Śaivya, namely Mādhavī. In Marathi literature, she is referred to as Tārāmatī instead, which has become widely associated with the character due to its repeated appearance in vernacular literature and modern media adaptations of the narrative. In Southern India, Shaivya is known as Chandramati.
Puranic accounts
''Markandeya Purana''
Although Harishchandra appears in several earlier texts, Shaivya first gains narrative prominence in the Markandeya Purana, where she is portrayed as an peripheral figure in the earliest extant version of the legend. In this account, the sage Vishvamitra devises a series of trials to test Harishchandra’s adherence to truth and righteousness. The trials of Shaivya and her family begin when Harishchandra inadvertently disturbs Vishvamitra during his penance. Angered by the interruption, the sage demands a series of increasingly severe sacrifices. He first extracts from the king a promise to relinquish his entire kingdom and later insists that Harishchandra surrender all his possessions, sparing only himself, his wife, and his child. Unable to meet further escalating demands, the family travels to Varanasi in search of a livelihood. As they depart, the devastated citizens of Ayodhya lament Shaivya’s plight—once a noble queen, now condemned to suffering and hardship. Vishvamitra, unmoved by their sorrow, further humiliates Shaivya by beating her during the journey to hasten her pace. This act angers the Vishvadevas, a group of five deities, who protest the injustice, but Vishvamitra curses them for interfering in his trial.Reduced to destitution, Harishchandra pledges to pay an additional sacrificial fee within a month. During this period of hardship in Varanasi, Shaivya remains unwavering in her support of Harishchandra. Witnessing his despair, she encourages him to remain devoted to truth, which she regards as the highest form of righteousness. In a profound act of loyalty and self-sacrifice, Shaivya volunteers to be sold to enable her husband to fulfil his vow. Harishchandra, devastated by the suggestion, breaks down, and Shaivya comforts him with dignity and resolve. Soon after, Vishvamitra arrives to demand immediate payment. Left with no alternative, the family proceeds to the market in Varanasi, where Harishchandra auctions Shaivya. She is purchased by a cruel and elderly Brahmin as a housemaid and is dragged away by her hair. Seeing her devasted son following her, Shaivya pleads with the buyer to purchase her son, Rohitashva, as well, so they are not separated. The Brahmin reluctantly agrees. Despite the cruelty and humiliation she endures, Shaivya maintains her composure, offering comfort to her weeping son even as she suffers herself.
Tragedy strikes when Rohitashva dies from a snake bite. Shaivya brings his body to the cremation ground and attempts to perform the funeral rites herself. There, she unexpectedly reunites with her husband, Harishchandra, who by this time has been reduced to the role of an attendant at the cremation grounds. Due to the extreme hardships they have both endured, the couple initially fails to recognise one another. Recognition dawns only after they prepare their son’s funeral pyre. Harishchandra, moved by Shaivya’s lamentations, realises her identity, and the couple is overcome with sorrow and consolation. At this moment of profound human suffering and despair, the couple decide to end their sufferings by immolating themselves along with their son's body. Divine forces, along with Vishvamitra, intervene. Their son is miraculously restored to life, and the gods reveal that the entire episode had been a moral test of their unwavering commitment to truth and righteousness. The royal family is restored to honour, and their virtue is rewarded with divine recognition and heavenly ascent.
''Devi Bhagavata Purana''
In the Devi Bhagavata Purana, a later medieval female-centric Sanskrit text, the figure of Shaivya is developed in greater depth. She is introduced as the daughter of the king of the Shivi Kingdom, situated in the western region of the Indian subcontinent. Among Harishchandra’s numerous consorts—numbering a hundred—Shaivya is portrayed as the chief queen and his principal partner in both devotion and suffering. The royal couple, though childless, are counseled by their family priest, the sage Vasishtha, to seek divine intervention. Harishchandra prays to the god Varuna, who agrees to grant them a son on the condition that the child will be offered in sacrifice. In due course, Shaivya gives birth to a son, Rohitashva. When the time arrives to fulfill the vow, Harishchandra—unable to sacrifice his own son—purchases a poor Brahmin boy and substitutes him for the offering. This act provokes the wrath of Vishvamitra, who deems the substitution dishonest and unworthy of true righteousness. Determined to test Harishchandra’s virtue further, Vishvamitra engineers an extended ordeal for the royal family. The narrative expands significantly beyond earlier accounts, portraying more intense suffering for Shaivya, with an attempt to justify her inhumane treatment for her family's attempt to sacrifice an innocent boy.In this version, the Brahmin who purchases Shaivya in the slave market is eventually revealed to be Vishvamitra in disguise. Under his control, Shaivya is subjected to repeated physical and verbal abuse. The tale describes in graphic detail the emotional and physical toll this takes on her, particularly after the death of her son. Rohitashva, while playing along the banks of the Ganges, is bitten by a snake and dies. Upon hearing the news from other children, Shaivya collapses in grief and, after regaining consciousness, pleads with her master for permission to cremate her child. Her request is denied until she finishes her household chores, and she is threatened with a whip should she persist. Despite her desperate tears and pleas, the Brahmin strikes her and orders her back to work. Only at midnight, she is allowed to leave. Overwhelmed, Shaivya flees to the riverside where her son's body lies. She finds him stiff and blue from poison, and cries out in anguish. Locals gather but, failing to comprehend her identity, mistake her for a ghost or madwoman. Some attempt to harm her; others seize her by the hair and strike her repeatedly. Eventually, she is bound and dragged to the cremation grounds.
There, they demand that Harishchandra—now employed as an attendant of the cremation grounds—kill her for her perceived transgression. He refuses to harm a woman, prompting the local outcaste king to intervene and hand him a sword, insisting he carry out the command. As Harishchandra hesitates to raise the sword, Shaivya pleads to be allowed to cremate her son first. Moved by her grief, Harishchandra consents. Shaivya brings Rohitashva’s body to the cremation ground, and as the rites begin, mutual recognition slowly dawns. Nevertheless, Harishchandra insists that a funeral without the customary fee would violate his duties. With no means to pay, the couple decide to end their lives alongside their son. The ending is similar to the Markandeya Purana version.