In Veda(s), we have the mention of the Rudra(s), the Marud(s) and the Viśvedeva.In the Paurāṇika age, the Rudra(s) and the Śivagaṇa (Sivagana; associates of Siva) were known as Gaṇaśakti (Ganasakti). In this light, the female associates of Goddess Durgā (Durga) are sometimes called the Mātṛkā (Matrika; an order of lesser female deities), sometimes Devīśakti (Devisakti), and sometimes Yoginī (Yogini). Those who are associated with the Mahādevī (Mahadevi; the Great Goddess) or Mahāśakti (the spirit or force; manifestation of the Great Mother Goddess as the ultimate feminine principle) , for helping her to serve her purposes, are known as Yoginī. These Yoginī(s) , in a sense, constitute the gaṇa of the Devī. They are like the sakhī(s) of the goddess, and sometimes, they are identified with her —
canḍikāyāstu yoginyāḥ sakhyo’tra ca prakīrtitā
These Yoginī(s) are sometimes eight in number, sometimes twelve, sometimes sixty-four, sometimes a crore —
ugracaṇḍādikāḥ pūjyāsthathāṣṭau yoginīḥ śubhāḥ
yogināśca catuḥṣaṣṭisthathā vai koṭiyoginīḥ.

In light of the several manifestations of the Mahādevī (Mahadevi), the name of one Yoginī may appear as the associate of a major goddess, and elsewhere, in a different form, the major goddess mentioned earlier may be considered as the Yoginī of the former. The term Aṣṭayoginī (Ashtayogini) is famous, so the names of some distinguished forms of godessess are referred to as the Aṣṭayoginī of Durgā- Ugracaṇḍā, Pracanḍā, Caṇḍogrā, Caṇḍanāyikā, Caṇḍā (Chanda) Caṇḍāvatī (Chandavati), Cāmuṇḍā (Chamunda), and Caṇḍikā —
Ugracaṇḍā Pracanḍā ca Caṇḍogrā, Caṇḍanāyikā
Caṇḍā Caṇḍāvatī caiva Cāṇḍarupāti Caṇḍikā.