Hinglaj

The modern name Hinglaj is derived from the Sanskrit *Hiṅgulā, commonly known as cinnabar, a mercury-sulfide ore mineral highly prized as a pigment, dyeing agent and cosmetic agent since prehistoric times.

Scholars have linked Hinglaj to the Bactrian goddess Nana, worshipped among the Parthian, Saka, and Kushan peoples. Brighenti proposes that the modern epithet "Bibi Nānī" (Lady Grandmother) may reflect an even more ancient deity, Nanaia, the Babylonian goddess of love. In the Hindu tantric-esoteric Vāmācāra tradition, the Hinglaj Mata Temple in Balochistan is a foremost Śaktipitha, and remains one of the most important pilgrimage destinations for Hindus. In Shaktism traditions developing around the 8th-9th centuries CE, the following narrative is found: To still the divine dance, Tandava, of the Hindu god Lord Shiva following the death of Dakshayani, the Hindu god Lord Vishnu scattered the remains of her embodiment over various places of the Indian subcontinent. It is said that the head fell at Hingula or Hinglaj and is thus considered the most important of the 51 Shakti Peeths. At each of the Peeths, Bhairava (a manifestation of Shiva) accompanies the relics. The Bhairava at Hinglaj is called Bhimalochana, located in Koteshwar, Kutch. The Sanskrit texts mention the part as 'Brahmadreya' or vital essence.