Kateri Ammaa, also referred to as Small Mother or Baigalamman, is a dark-complexioned Devi who brings nothing but light, fruitfulness, and joy to her devotees once she is served with love and sincerity.
Kateri Ammaa works alongside Gangai Ammaa; Ganga Ammaa is the granter of certain boons while Kateri Ammaa is the maintainer and protector of such boons. Women pray to Kateri Amma when they are unable to conceive and to protect their unborn child.
Mariamma takes the form of Kateri Amman to accompany her children anywhere regardless of the cleanliness of the environment. This form of Mother is also capable of entering the bodies of her children to remove any illness or impurities whether it may be medical or supernatural.
According to Tamil folklore, Shiva once spotted his consort, Parvati, leave their bed in the middle of the night, and return only before sunrise. When he questioned her regarding this, his wife was puzzled, and informed him that she had not left his side all night. When Shiva observed this happening once more, he proceeded to follow her from Kailasa to a forest, and witnessed that she had assumed the terrible form of Kali, digging up corpses, to consume them. Determined to stop her, he dug a hole in the forest path. When Kali fell within the hole and saw Shiva, she was filled with remorse for her actions and promised Shiva that she would end this morbid pursuit. She also told Shiva that she would leave behind her terrible form within the hole, and return to him as a dutiful wife. The shakti that was left behind would become her form of Kateri Amman, a benevolent goddess who destroys sicknesses, and shields her adherents fiercely. She is the only devi in the Caribbean Shakta religion whose prasadam, or sacred food, is not consumed. Why? Since she deals with impurity and sickness, it is thought her prasadam is infected with it. She is a devi who is thought to be able to go through everything and anything, no matter how impure it is. I love yall, thank you for reading, Om Shakti, and Jai Baigalamman Thaiye!
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