Ammavaru According to minor Hindu narrative , Ammavaru is an ancient goddess who laid the egg that hatched Brahma , Shiva and Vishnu . In fact , `` Amma '' is a term meaning mother . According to other Hindus , however , Shiva is without birth or death . Similar beliefs exist for Vishnu . Annually , the women of South India who believe in Ammavaru conduct a ritual prayer to the deity . A metal pot filled with rice is used to symbolize the goddess ' body . The pot is clothed in a traditional sari . At the mouth of the pot , a painted coconut is used to symbolize the head . Varying implements are used to fashion the eyes , ears , and nose of the Goddess . Further reading Hindu Goddesses : Vision of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Traditions ( ISBN 81-208-0379-5 ) by David Kinsley Hinduism | Hindu mythology | Itihasa Female Deities : Gayatri | Saraswati | Lakshmi | Dakshayani | Parvati | Durga | Shakti | Kali | Sita | Devi | Radha | Mahavidya | more ... Male Deities : Vishnu | Shiva | Rama | Krishna | Ganesha | Kartikeya | Hanuman | Lakshmana | Indra | Surya | more ... Texts : Vedas | Upanishads | Puranas | Ramayana | Mahabharata This box :   view • talk • edit  This Hindu mythology-related article is a stub . See the WikiProject Hindu mythology for article coordination . You can help Wikipedia by expanding it . Categories : Hindu goddesses | Hindu mythology stubs In other languages : Français | Norsk ( nynorsk ) 