Goddess Hidimbi: Hiá¸imbi, is the wife of the Pandava Bhima and mother of great warrior Veer Ghatotkacha in the Mahabharata. She meets Bhima in the 9th sub-parva (Hidimva-vadha Parva) of the Adi Parva. She is also referred to as Bhuá¹andevi or Pallavi. The Indian epic Mahabharata narrates that the Pandavas stayed in Himachal during their exile. In Manali, the strongest person there, named Hidimb and brother of Hidimba, attacked them, and in fight Bhima, strongest amongst the Pandavas, killed him. Bhima and Hidimb's sister, Hidimbi, then got married and had a son, Ghatotkacha, (who later proved to be a great warrior in the war against Kauravas). When Bhima and his brothers returned from exile, Hidimbi did not accompany him, but stayed back and did tapasyÄ (a combination of meditation, prayer, and penance) so as to eventually attain the status of a goddess.
