Design Resource
Mythological Trail of Manav Sangrahalaya
Open Air Exhibition on the Myth of India
by
The Manasa Myth
Manasa was the daughter of Shiva. She wanted people to worship her as much as her father. A famous merchant, Chand Saudagar was Shiva’s great devotee. Manasa thought if the merchant worshipped her, others would follow him. When he refused to do so, she killed his six sons. About his seventh son, she declared that he would be killed on the night of his marriage. To protect his son, the merchant made an iron house without an opening. But following vaastu shastra, he kept a needle’s eyehole in one corner of the house. His son’s wife did not sleep the whole night. Just before dawn she dozed off for a second and during that time the snake bit her husband. A brave wife sat on a boat with her husband and sailed into the unknown waters. She reached the shore after a long time where she met a washer man who used to wash God’s clothes. She helped him in his work. The Gods were pleased with her work and asked her to make a wish. She asked for the life of her husband and his six brothers. Manasa blessed her, and since then merchant, his family and all the people began honoring her as a goddess. The Manasa’s abode, the ritual pitcher for offering water and the Bankura horses are offered in the Manasa Sthan.
