Tripureshi (त्रिपुरेशी, IAST: Tripureśī) is a Sanskrit-origin Hindu girl-name meaning “She who is the supreme ruler of the three cities”. Tri means three, pura means city or realm, and īśī is the feminine form of lord or ruler; as Tripureśī, Lalitā is proclaimed the sovereign goddess of the three worlds—waking, dream, and deep sleep—or the three mystical cities of the Tantra.

Meaning, etymology & significance

The three puras in the Śrīvidyā tradition refer to the three cities of the Tripura mythology—the three golden, silver, and iron citadels—which also symbolise the three states of consciousness and the three bodies (gross, subtle, causal). By ruling all three, Lalitā transcends every limiting state and pervades the entirety of experience. She is not confined to any single realm but is the animating queen of all three simultaneously.

Tripureśī is closely related to the names Tripurā and Tripurasundarī, all celebrating the same transcendent sovereignty; pronounced tri-pu-RE-shee, with stress on the third syllable.

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Scriptural source

Tripureshi appears in the Lalitha Sahasranama, among the sacred names of Lalitha.