Bhuvaneshwari: The Goddess of the Universe, Her Story, Form and Mantra

Bhuvaneshwari (भुवनेश्वरी, “queen of the worlds”) is the fourth of the ten Mahavidyas, the wisdom goddesses of Shakta Tantra. She is the Divine Mother as space itself, who holds and rules the universe. Radiant like the rising sun, she carries a noose and goad and shows gestures of blessing and fearlessness. Her seed mantra is Hreem.

Where some Mahavidyas are fierce, Bhuvaneshwari is serene and nurturing: the vast, open mother in whom all things find room.

Bhuvaneshwari at a glance

Also spelled	Bhuvaneswari, Bhubaneswari
Meaning	Bhuvana (worlds) + Ishvari (queen, ruler)
Group	Fourth of the ten Mahavidyas
Element	Space (akasha)
Holds	Noose (pasha) and goad (ankusha); varada and abhaya mudras
Complexion	Golden-red, like the rising sun
Beej mantra	Hreem (ह्रीं)
Abode	Manidvipa, the jewelled island (Devi Bhagavata Purana)
Jayanti	Bhadrapada Shukla Dwadashi

Bhuvaneshwari among the Mahavidyas

The Das Mahavidya are ten forms of the Divine Mother: Kali, Tara, Tripura Sundari, Bhuvaneshwari, Bhairavi, Chinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, Matangi and Kamala. The order varies by text.

Kali is often said to represent time, and Bhuvaneshwari space — together, the frame within which everything exists. Bhuvaneshwari is also closely linked with Tripura Sundari: in Sri Vidya, she is sometimes described as the form Lalita takes when she manifests the world.

The story of Bhuvaneshwari

Creation of the worlds

One account tells that before creation there was only the Sun. The rishis offered soma to it, and Shakti arose as Bhuvaneshwari, creating the three worlds. In this sense her name is literal: she brings the worlds (bhuvanas) into being and then rules them.

The Devi Bhagavata Purana and Manidvipa

The Devi Bhagavata Purana, a major Shakta scripture, presents Bhuvaneshwari as the supreme goddess. In its third book, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are carried in a celestial chariot to a jewelled island, Manidvipa, beyond all worlds. There they see the goddess enthroned. As they approach, the three gods find themselves transformed into women, serving her. Humbled, they understand that their own powers of creation, preservation and destruction come from her, and sing her praise. The Purana describes Manidvipa in rich detail as her eternal abode.

Iconography and symbolism

Element	Common interpretation
Rising-sun complexion	Dawn of creation; warmth, life and light
Noose (pasha)	Her power to bind beings in the world through attachment — and to draw them to her
Goad (ankusha)	Her power to guide and correct; to free beings from what binds them
Varada and abhaya mudras	Granting boons and removing fear
Crescent moon on the crown, three eyes	Shared with Shiva; time, insight and transcendence
Full, nurturing form	The mother who sustains the world

Many teachers connect her with space in a meditative sense. Just as space makes room for everything without being changed by it, Bhuvaneshwari invites the practitioner into a spacious, open awareness — beyond the cramped boundaries of ego.

Hreem: the Bhuvaneshwari beej mantra

Bhuvaneshwari’s seed syllable is Hreem (ह्रीं), sometimes called the Maya beej, because it is linked with maya, the power by which the one reality appears as the many. Hreem appears in many Devi mantras, including in the Lalita tradition.

A simple, widely used devotional mantra is:

Om Hrīṁ Bhuvaneśvaryai Namaḥ

Longer Tantric mantras and sadhanas of Bhuvaneshwari are traditionally received through initiation (diksha) from a qualified guru. Lay devotees often simply chant the short mantra with a lamp and red flowers, or recite a stotra. For background, see what is a beej mantra.

Bhuvaneshwari temples

• Kamakhya, Assam — the Bhuvaneshwari temple sits at the very top of Nilachal hill, above the main Kamakhya shrine, among the Mahavidya temples of this great Shakti Peeth.
• Mysore Palace, Karnataka — the palace complex has a Bhuvaneshwari temple, and the goddess is closely linked with the former royal family.
• Gondal, Gujarat — the Bhuvaneshwari Peeth is a well-known Shakta centre.
• Pudukkottai, Tamil Nadu — the Bhuvaneswari temple is associated with the Avadhoota Vidya Peetham.

In Karnataka, the state is personified as Kannada Bhuvaneshwari, whose image is honoured on Kannada Rajyotsava (1 November) — a cultural rather than strictly Tantric form of the goddess.

A simple meditation on Bhuvaneshwari

Many teachers suggest a short contemplation suitable for anyone. Sit quietly, breathe slowly and become aware of the space around you — the room, the sky beyond it, the space between the stars. Then notice the space within: between thoughts, between breaths. Rest in that openness and silently repeat Hreem or Om Hreem Bhuvaneshwaryai Namah for a few minutes. The aim is not to visualise anything elaborate but to feel held within a vast, kind presence. This is a devotional practice, not a Tantric sadhana, and needs no initiation.

Worship and Jayanti

Bhuvaneshwari Jayanti falls on Bhadrapada Shukla Dwadashi, usually in August or September. Devotees offer red flowers, kumkum, sweets and a ghee lamp, and chant her mantra. She is also worshipped during Navratri as one of the forms of the Devi.

Why Bhuvaneshwari matters

Bhuvaneshwari offers a quiet but profound image of the divine: not a distant ruler, but the very space in which we live and breathe. To worship her is to recognise that everything — every person, every experience — is held within the Mother, and to let one’s own heart become as spacious as hers.