Nirriti is the Goddess of Destruction, Sorrow, Deathly Hidden Realms and also the Goddess of Death. She is the Hindu goddess of the ‘guardians of the directions’. She is the guardian deity of the Southwest. Goddess Nirriti keeps a watch on people in mourning and do not have food to eat. She lives in isolated locations and punishes people who do wrong. She uses the scimitar as weapon and a huge crow as her mount.
Nirriti means ‘the absence of’. As per Vedic astrology, she is a nakshatra ruled by Ketu. When she comes in the form of Dhumavati, she is associated strongly with Goddess Kali as well. Some of the hymns in the Rigveda implore or ask for her protection in the case of a possible leave-taking. One of the hymns of the Rigveda makes a mention of her many times in which prayers are offered to her for departure from the site of sacrifice.
Goddess Nirriti has golden locks as per descriptions made in the Atharvaveda. She wears dark clothing as described in the Taittiriya Brahmana. Her region of association is the southwest quarter, with her abode being the kingdom of the dead. Both Goddess Kali and Goddess Nirriti have one thing in common and that is the dark black complexion. She is known as Alakshmi in the Puranic story and is seen adorning iron ornaments and black dress. The name Alakshmi is given to her as she presides on sorrows. She is very similar to Mahavidya Dhumavati.
