Anahita

Anahita /ɑːnəˈhiːtə/ is the Old Persian name of an Iranian goddess. The complete and earlier form of the name is Aredvi Sura Anahita (Arədvī Sūrā Anāhitā). She is the Indo-Iranian goddess of "the Waters" (Aban), This makes her associated with fertility, healing and wisdom. There is a temple named Anahita in Iran.

Lotus flower is The symbol of goddess Anahita

Taq-e Bostan high-relief of the investiture of Khosrow II (r. 590 to 628). The king (center) receives the ring of kingship from Mithra (right). On the left, apparently sanctifying the investiture, stands a female figure generally assumed to be Anahita (but see remark, below).

Aredvi Sura Anahita is Ardwisur Anahid (اردویسور آناهید ) or Nahid (ناهید) in Middle and Modern Persian. She is Anahit in Armenian. A cult of Aredvi Sura Anahita was "introduced apparently in the 4th century BCE and lasted until it was suppressed in the wake of an iconoclastic movement under the Sassanids." The symbol of goddess Anahita is the Lotus flower. Lotus Festival (Persian: Jashn-e Nilupar) is an Iranian festival. It is held on the sixth day of July.

References

Sources

• Boyce, Mary (1975b), "On the Zoroastrian Temple Cult of Fire", Journal of the American Oriental Society, 95 (3), Ann Arbor: AOS/UMich. Press: 454–465, doi:10.2307/599356, JSTOR 599356
• Boyce, Mary (1983b), "Anāhīd", Encyclopædia Iranica, vol. 1, New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul, pp. 1003–1009

Refernces