Uma, is considered as the goddess of 'light' or the Lady of the
Mountains. She is an ancient Mountain-goddess who imparts the vital
virtue of balance to humanity. She has always been depicted as a beauty
with benign power. Often she is known by Parvati, Ambika, Annapurna,
Bhairavi, Candi, Gauri, Durga, Jagadmatai, Kali, Kanyakumari, Kumari,
Mahadevi & Syama or Shiva's consort. She is seen as a divinity in
her own right. The goddess is the ferocious form of Durga according to the Hindu scriptures. She has been given the tag of a mediator as she would always resolve the conflicts of heaven. The daughter of Himavat, the God of the Great Himalayan Mountains and the heavenly nymph Mena, she is also the sister of the sacred river Ganga.
Bengal is mainly considered as the center of goddess Uma's cult.
