Sinivali is a Vedic goddess, worshipped by ancient Aryans for healthy children. She is praised in the second and tenth mandalas of Rig Veda (II.32, X.1-4) as the sister of gods. She is described as having large hips and beautiful arms and fingers. She was worshiped with deities like Saraswati, Raka and Gungu.
In Atharva Veda (VII.46.3), Sinivali is said to be wife of Vishnu. It is likely that Goddess Lakshmi was earlier looked upon as Sinivali. In the post-Rig Vedic literature, deities Raka and Sinivali are mentioned as being associated with kalas (phases) of the moon. Sinivali was worshipped on Amavasya day, coupled with the fourteenth tithi (phase or stage),while Raka was worshipped on the full moon night.
In Puranas, Sinivali is mentioned as the third daughter of Sage Angiras and Shraddha. She was married to Aditya, named Dhata, and a son by the name of Darsa was born to her.
Amavasya, coupled with the fourteenth tithi (chaturdashi) is called 'inivali'. If a woman gives birth to a child on this day, it is considered inauspicious. To overcome the inauspiciousness, a procedure of ritual called ashubha-shanti is recommended in Dharmashastras.
In Aitareya Brahmana, 'inivali' is the name of the tithi on which the moon rises with a scarcely visible crescent. In Amarakosha, she is called kuhu when the crescent of the moon becomes invisible. Sini means ‘a woman with a white complexion.’