The word Hingalaj in sanskrit – ‘हिंगलाज’ is derived from:

“Hingula” (हिङ्गुला) — the Sanskrit word for cinnabar (a red-colored mineral, associated with the goddess’s energy and blood-like power).

“Aj” (अज) — meaning unborn or primordial, when interpreted spiritually.

So “Hinglaj” can mean “the primordial red one” or “she who embodies the primal Shakti.”

Hinglaj Devi is considered a powerful form of Adi Shakti—the primordial feminine energy.

According to Siddha dharma tradition, Hingalaj Devi is a terrifying yet compassionate Goddess, one who both destroys ignorance and grants liberation. She is worshipped not just as a mother goddess, but also as a guardian of hidden and esoteric knowledge, and protector of ascetics and tantra systems.

Origin 

The roots of Hingalaj Devi’s worship trace back to the legend of Sati, the first consort of Lord Shiva. According to the story mentioned in several puranas like Shiva Purana, Devi Bhagavata Purana, Kalika Purana and Markandeya Purana –

Sati, the daughter of King Daksha, married Lord Shiva against her father’s wishes.

When Daksha held a grand yajna (sacrificial ritual), he deliberately did not invite Shiva. Sati, humiliated and grief-stricken by the insult to her husband, self-immolated in the fire of the yajna. Enraged, Shiva performed the Tandava, the dance of cosmic destruction, carrying Sati’s burning corpse across the universe. To save the cosmos from Shiva’s fury, Vishnu used his Sudarshan Chakra to dismember Sati’s body. Each place where a body part fell became a Shakti Peetha, a sacred site of divine feminine energy.

At Hingalaj, it is believed that Sati’s Brahmarandhra (the crown of the head or the “gateway to the divine”) fell. This made Hingalaj one of the most spiritually potent of all the Peethas.

The Secret Purva Gyaddyau ( ग्याद्यौ ) and Hingalaj Devi 

According to Siddha Dharma, the term “Gyaddau” refers to a place of extraordinarily elevated spiritual energy. When Prithvi Devi (Mother Earth) was created, she was subtly divided into four divine quadrants. In each of these quadrants, different Gyaddau were present, and each is guarded by a specific goddess—making four guardian goddesses. According to Mahasiddha Kaalvyaal Nath, these gyaddau have always been a very sacred place for doing sadhana and penannce for earlier Mahasiddhas. Since time immemorial Mahasiddhas have always preffereed these gyaddaus for their sadhana and spiritual growth and have attained the perfect state of being. Therefore in Siddha dharm tradition the worship of these Chaturdig (four directional) gyaddau is a crutial step in every sadhana. The worship of all the gyaddau is included in the Karmakand of Siddha dharma tradition.
According to the legend of Devi Sati (mentioned in puranas), when she self-immolated herself, Bhagwan Shiva carried her body across the universe in deep mourning. Witnessing his grief, the Mahasiddhas of the Himalayas along with the Devas and Devis prayed to Bhagwan Vishnu, urging him to find a solution for this situation and also to establish Devi Sati’s body in a sacred place for worship. This would not only console Bhagwan Shiva and end his mourning, but also serve the welfare of the general public, allowing them to worship the Goddess and receive her blessings.
Bhagwan Vishnu, along with the Mahasiddhas and divine beings, recognized that placing the entire body in a single location would not be feasible, as it would vanish the moment it touched the Earth. Therefore, they decided to divide Devi Sati’s body into 108 parts, with each part to be established in a separate Gyaddau. As each part descended and touched the Earth, it would disappear—but whatever substance it touched would become a sacred symbol of Goddess Sati, to be worshipped eternally. Among these sacred sites, the Place of Mahavyuha was considered to be the most important and spiritually most significand among the gyaddaus. Prior to the establishment of Sati’s bramharandra in this place, this place was known as vyuh Kshetra by Mahasiddhas. The residing Goddess of this place was Goddess Mahavyuha. Therefore this was the place of ultimate spiritual importance. Thus it was decided to establish the Brahmarandhra (crown of the head) of Devi Sati in this place. Later on this place came to be known as Goddess hingalaj Shaktipeeth. It is believed that all the 108 Shaktipeethas are established on these 108 gyaddaus.
According to Siddha Dharma, the Gyaddau were already spiritually significant and filled with immense spiritual energy from the very beginning. Powerful guardian Goddessess had long resided there. Later, when parts of Goddess Sati fell at these places, her divine energy also merged with it, greatly amplifying the spiritual power and significance of these places. These places then became the most important places for a sadhak as doing sadhana and penance in these places have the power to greatly accelerate the spiritual journey of a sadhak. And therefore the Sadhana system of the goddess in these Shaktipeethas is very unique and entirely different from each other. Among these the Hingalaj shaktipeeth is considered to be the supreme and the sadhana system of Goddess Hingalaj is most special and exceptionally different.

Iconography

There are three forms of Goddess Hingalaj – Satvik, Rajsik and Tamsik.
Satvik form – In this form the Goddess is sitting in deep meditative form in Sukhasana. She has four hands. On one hand she is holding a Shankha, on other hand she is holding Lotus flower, one hand is in Var mudra and other is in Abhay mudra.

Rajsik form – The Devi is shown in red color which Symbolizes Shakti, fire, blood, transformation, and life-force. She s visualized with a third eye, symbolizing inner wisdom, cosmic perception, and transcendence of duality. She carries –
A trishul (trident): Cutting through the three gunas—tamas, rajas, sattva.
A khadga (sword): Symbolizing the severing of ignorance.
A kapala (skull bowl): Often filled with blood or fire, representing sacrifice and the ego’s offering.
The fourth hand is in Var Mudra. Devi is surrounded by the Mahasiddhas and Gandharvas.

Tamsic form – She is represented as Black or deep indigo in color denoting her aghora (wrathful, dissolving) aspect – destroyer of ignorance and ego. She is in fierce form. She is seen as standing upon a corpse symbolic of mastery over death and the material world. She is surrounded by flames, snakes, crescent moon, and cosmic yantras—each representing cosmic energies.

Sapta Hingalaj Swaroop (7 forms of Goddess Hingalaj)

There are seven divine forms of Goddess Hingalaj

1. Urdhva Kamika – She is the form of Goddess who frees her devotee from all the material desires and moves the devotee towards the ultimate and right desires of attaining moksha (salvation), mukti (liberation) or the state of siddhatva. Devi is the seed of the right spiritual desries in herself. The one who is blessed by Goddess develops these higher desires of salvation, liberation, siddhatva. And the oe who does not recieve the blessings of Devi remains ordinary and never rises in spiritual realm. This form of Goddess was describes by Mahasiddha Koshira Nath

2. Kottarakshi (Kottari) – Kottar meaning a big hollow of a tree and akshi means eye. This universe is like a big kottar i.e. a big hollow and the Devi is the symbolised as the eye in this vast universe. This means that the Devi can see everything – all the karmas of all beings. Nothing is hidden from Bhagwati in this universe.

This form of Goddess was describes by Mahasiddha Kaalvyaal Nath

3. Pratyaksha or Pratyaksha Vidya – The word Pratyaksha means the one that is visible. In spirituality it is often said that the experience of Gods and Goddesses is beyong the senses, beyond the understanding of this little human mind. But here the Goddess is saying that if she is beyond the senses then there is also one form of Goddess which can be experienced through these senses also. She can be seen, heard, touched through our limited senses also. All the nature that humans can experience is nothing but Goddess herself. Such is the benevolence of Goddess Pratyaksha.

This form of Goddess was describes by Mahasiddha Audrakali Nath

4. Bramhachandi – Bramha meaning the Goddess Yogmaya and Chandi meaning the fierce one. Goddess Bramhachandi is the epitome of fierceness and she carries the ultimate capacity of elevating the sadhak to the perfect state of being very quickly. Her sadhana is very difficult and dangerous. Only some great sadhaks can perform her sadhana through tantra.

This form of Goddess was describes by Mahasiddha Kalpakumbha Nath

5. Mool Mātar (Mātrika) – Mool here refers to the source or essence which is the bramharandra in spirituality and matar is the matrika i.e. the motherly aspect of Goddess. She is the Goddess of the Bramharandra or the essence of spirituality.

This form of Goddess was describes by Mahasiddha Atilochan Nath

6. Malakulani – Mala is a specific category of Devi in which many Goddesses reside and these are called as mala. They are fierce and wrathfull. They have the capacity to create several diseases and disorders in humans. There they are feared by people. Malakulani is the Goddess who is the source or the originator of the Malas.

This form of Goddess was describes by Mahasiddha Naagkalpa Nath

7. Sandhi Devi – Here Sandhi signifies union. She is the Goddess who is connected with everything in this universe and everything is connected to her. We see things as independent but in reality everything is connected, be it paap or punya, good or bad. The Goddess has the way to purify and ascend every being in its spiritual journey, to good by love and to bad ones by punishment. She is also the originator of Yoga. Therefore yogis and sadhaks constantly worship her and perform her sadhana.

This form of Goddess was describes by Mahasiddha Vibhumool Nath

Bramharandrika Vidya

Once while Bhagwan Swachchhand Bhairav Shiv was imparting the knowlede of life and death to Bhagwati Kurukulla, he said that there exists different openings ( randra ) in the body, for example the nostrils through which the pran vayu or the air is taken in. The ears through which the sound energy is taken in. Similarly there is a subtle opening at the place of floor of skull which is called Bramharandra. On mastering the Bramharandra a yogi can obtain the amrit tavta (the divine nector) that the Goddess Yogmaya has created in this universe. Such a yogi becomes independent of food, water, air to survive. He is always stable in the state of connection with Bramharandra. All the knowledge of universe, different vidyas, different art forms starts descending through the bramharandra in such a yogi. He gains the power to move his subtle body in different realms.

There are many secret kriyas (techniques) related to Bramharandra in tantra and yoga. This is called Bramharandra vidya. The Hingalaj Shaktipeeth is considered to be the centre and school of the Bramharandrika Vidya as the Bramharandra of Goddess Sati is established here. And Goddess Hingalaj is the prime Goddess of this Vidya. One can master the Bramharandrika Vidya by doing the sadhana of Goddess Hingalaj.

There are many misconceptions about the concept of Bramharandra. Some believe that Bramharandra is an opening in the top of the skull. But this is a myth. According to Mahasiddha Ishaputra there are many species in this planet who do not have skull, it doesnt mean they dont have Bramharandra. All the living beings have chetna (consciousness). It is this Chetna that is on one side connected to the senses through which the being experiences the surrounding and on the other end it is free to establish the connection with the supreme consciousness (Bhagwati Yogmaya) and merge back into the Bhagwati Yogmaya. This possibility of the Chetna through which it can establish the connection with the supreme consciousness and merge back into it is called the Bramharandra.

Goddess Hingalaj and Mahasiddha Kaalvyaal Nath ji