Bhumi (Sanskrit: भूमि, romanized: Bhūmi), also known as Bhudevi, Dharani, and Vasundhara, is a significant goddess in Hinduism, personifying the Earth.

As per Hindu mythology, Varaha, the third avatar of Vishnu, saved her from the asura Hiranyaksha and later married her, making her one of his consorts.

[5] Iconographically, Bhumi is depicted holding a blue lotus and is often shown alongside Vishnu and Lakshmi or with Varaha.

The southern recension of the epic Mahabharata mentions Bhumi as the daughter of the creator god Brahma.

According to the Puranas, during the Satya Yuga (first eon), the demon Hiranyaksha kidnapped Bhumi and hid her in the primordial waters.

[10] The episode of the devas seeking the assistance of Vishnu's Varaha avatar in rescuing Bhumi is described in the Padma Purana:[11] They sought the shelter of Nārāyaṇa, Viṣṇu.

Then knowing that wonder, he, Viṣṇu, the holder of a conch, a disc, and a mace, took up the Boar-form, existing everywhere and having no beginning, middle or end.

Seeing great Viṣṇu of the form of the hog, all deities and sages, with their bodies bowed with devotion, praised him.Narakasura was the first born of Bhumi.

[13] Sita, the wife of Rama, emerged from the earth, and subsequently adopted by the King of Mithila, Janaka.

When Prithu hears that his people are starving because the earth had withdrawn most of her vegetation, he furiously chases her in her form of a cow.

Attributes such as the courage, valour, knowledge, and the bodily health of the Brahmin sages are stated to have been milked from the earth, and the virtues and the truths that characterise animals may be attributed to her as well:[16] Pṛthu got angry on hearing this and taking his bow Ajagava and several arrows went in search of the goddess of earth.

She finally beheaded the latter with her husband's Sudarshana Chakra, thus fulfilling the prophecy that the asura could only be killed by his mother.

He was childless and one day, he found a girl under a Tulasi plant in the garden inside Sri Andal Rangamannar Temple, Srivilliputhur.

The girl Kothai was thus named Andal and was referred to as "Chudikodutha Sudarkodi", meaning the lady who wore and gave her garland to Vishnu.

Andal is credited with two great Tamil works, Tiruppavai and Nachiyar Tirumoli, which are still recited by devotees during the winter festival season of Margali.

The Raja festival in Odisha, Eastern India, is a three-day celebration dedicated to Bhudevi, also known as Bhoomi Devi.

The festival marks the beginning of the monsoon and the arrival of new crops, as it is believed that Bhudevi is resting and preparing to bless humanity with a prosperous harvest.

They are treated to their favorite food and a special Odia delicacy called Poda Pitha, a baked rice cake prepared exclusively for this occasion.

Elaborate flower-laced swings are set up for the women and girls, who are considered embodiments of goddesses, particularly Bhudevi.

To respect Bhudevi's deep slumber, people refrain from digging the earth or engaging in agricultural work during this time.