Encyclopedia  Santoshi Mata

Santoshi Mata, meaning the mother of contentment, is a relatively recent Hindu female divinity. She belongs to the family of Shiva and Parvati, and is the daughter of Ganesha and his wife Riddhi. She can be benevolent as well as awesome.She emerged as a deity during late 1950s and early 1960s, and is particularly worshipped by women of North India.

Santoshi Ma: The Goddess Through Popular Film

In the early 1960s, the Goddess Santoshi Ma, previously unheard of, came onto the scene. Although no one knew where she had come from and and there was no oral tradition surrounding her, she began to command attention. (Kathleen Erndl, Victory to The Mother) Several temples were built in her honor and in 1975, she manifested in a Hindi-language film, Jai Santoshi Ma. With the spectacular success of the film, Santoshi Ma became a major religious figure practically overnight. Today, she is thoroughly integrated into the pantheon of Hindu gods and goddesses.

Santoshi Ma has emerged within the lifetimes of many of her devotees. So, an outsider might call her a new goddess, a pop culture sensation legitimized by her acceptance into the more institutionalized forms of worship. But, Indians themselves would disagree. Although she has her own history as the daughter of Ganesha, Santoshi Ma is not considered new or even separate from the other Hindu goddesses. According to devotees Santoshi Ma has always existed. The popular movie which brought her to stardom can be understood as just another one of her worldly manifestations.