Author Description
Hadimba Is A Primary Village Goddess In The Kullu Valley Of The West Indian Himalayan State Of Himachal Pradesh, A Rural Area Known As The Land Of Gods. As The Book Shows, Hadimba Is A Goddess Whose Vitality Reveals Itself In Her Devotees' Rapidly Changing Encounters With Local And Far From Local Players, Powers, And Ideas. These Include Invading Royal Forces, Colonial Forms Of Knowledge, And More Recently The Onslaught Of Modernity, Capitalism, Tourism, And Ecological Change. Hadimba Has Provided Her Worshipers With Discursive, Ritual, And Ideological Arenas Within Which They Reflect On, Debate, Give Meaning To, And Sometimes Resist These Changing Realities, And She Herself Has Been Transformed In The Process. Drawing On Diverse Ethnographic And Textual Materials Gathered In The Region From 2009 To 2017, The Many Faces Of A Himalayan Goddess Is Rich With Myths And Tales, Accounts Of Dramatic Rituals And Festivals, And Descriptions Of Everyday Life In The Celebrated But Remote Kullu Valley. The Book Employs An Interdisciplinary Approach To Tell The Story Of Hadimba From The Ground Up, Or Rather, From The Center Out, Portraying The Goddess In Varying Contexts That Radiate Outward From Her Temple To Local, Regional, National, And Indeed Global Spheres. The Result Is An Important Contribution To The Study Of Indian Village Goddesses, Lived Hinduism, Himalayan Hinduism, And The Rapidly Growing Field Of Religion And Ecology.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This book investigates how the village goddess Hadimba serves as a dynamic focal point for the inhabitants of the Kullu Valley as they navigate the pressures of modernity, capitalism, and ecological change. Ehud Halperin, an expert in South Asian religions, utilizes extensive ethnographic fieldwork and textual analysis conducted between 2009 and 2017 to document the goddess's evolving role. He argues that Hadimba provides a vital framework through which her devotees interpret and respond to external forces ranging from colonial history to contemporary tourism. By examining the goddess from the center of her temple outward, the author demonstrates how religious identity adapts to shifting socio-political landscapes.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Ethnographic data on ritual practices and festival life in the Kullu Valley.
- Analysis of the intersection between local religious traditions and globalized economic forces.
- Historical accounts of the goddess's role in relation to royal power and colonial knowledge.
- A multi-scalar framework for studying village deities in the context of environmental and social change.
Scope Limits
- The study is geographically confined to the Kullu Valley and does not provide a comprehensive survey of all Himalayan goddess traditions.
- The analysis focuses primarily on the modern era and recent historical shifts rather than ancient theological origins.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Scholars in the field of lived Hinduism and religious studies recognize this work as a significant contribution to the understanding of how local deities function within modern, globalized contexts. Readers frequently note the depth of the ethnographic detail and the clarity with which the author connects local ritual life to broader sociological themes.
Page Count:
320
Publication Date:
2019-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0190913592
ISBN-13:
9780190913595
Religion
Ecology and Religion
Sociology of Religion
Anthropology
Hinduism