Annapurna (अन्नपूर्णा)

Annapurna (अन्नपूर्णा) is the nourishing goddess associated with food, sustenance and sacred hospitality. Devotional and narrative traditions especially associate this figure with nourishment, generosity, food, household abundance and the dignity of feeding others. Common iconography may include food bowl, ladle, seated maternal form and Shiva receiving alms. Important related names include Annapurneshwari. The exact stories, ritual customs and visual details can differ by text, region and lineage, so descriptions should distinguish widely shared tradition from local interpretation. For a Madhuma reference page, the strongest people-first angle is to explain who Annapurna is, the major stories and symbols, how worship differs across India, important festivals or pilgrimage contexts, and respectful modern practice without presenting devotional belief as historical fact.