Jvarasura

According to one legend, Jvarasura was born out of sweat of the fore-head of meditating Shiva and was a threat to the Devas. Once Vishnu was inflicted with the fever of Javarasura, when in the form of Haya-griva. He then killed the fever-demon by cutting him into three pieces using his cosmic-disk weapon, the Sudarshana Chakra. However, Jvarasura was later revived by Brahma, who joined the three parts. But by that time each three parts had grown a head and a limb.[1][2] Thus Jvarasura is depicted as having three faces, three feet and remarkable ability to move in all directions at once. He was later selected as servant of the pox-goddess, Shitala.[1]

The cult of Shitala-Jvarasura is widely popular in Bengali culture. Incidentally, in Bengali, Oriya and Hindi languages, fever is referred to as Jvara.[3] and Asura means demon. The name Jvarasura is combination of these two words - Jvara (meaning fever) and Asura (meaning demon) - Jvarasura. Thus, Jvarasura means the demon of fever. Jvarasura is disguised as a young servant. Shitala, the consort of Jvarasura is widely worshipped by village folk in whole of North India, as a protector of pox and fever diseases.[4]

In Buddhist culture, Jvarasura is depicted sometimes as consort of Paranasabari, the Buddhist Goddess of diseases. In some images these deities are shown as flying away to escape from wrath of Vajrayogini, the Buddhist Goddess and destroyer of diseases.[2]