Mountain Goddess
Gender and Politics in a Himalayan Pilgrimage
Published on 28. November 1991
Book
Paperback/Softback
256 pages
978-0-19-506979-2 (ISBN)
Description
Every few decades, thousands of Hindu villagers in the Central Himalayas of North India carry their regional goddess Nandadevi in a bridal palanquin to her husband Shiva's home, walking barefoot over icebound mountain passes to a lake surrounded by human bones. This Royal Pilgrimage of Nandadevi is a ritual dramatization of the post-marital journeys of married women from their natal homes to their husbands' homes. Mountain Goddessis an anthropological study of this
pilgrimage and the cult of Nandadevi, especially as they relate to local women's lives. The author shows how Nandadevi's appeal stems from the fact that her mythology parallels the life-courses of
the local peasant women, and that her ritual procession imitates their annual journey to the village of their birth. Drawing on formal Indian theories, verbal commentaries, songs, interviews, articles, propaganda, legends, pan-Indian Sanskrit liturgies, historical documents, and the author's remarkable personal account of the pilgrimage, this gripping narrative is a unique resource for courses in the anthropology of religion, Hinduism, and folklore, ritual, and gender studies.
pilgrimage and the cult of Nandadevi, especially as they relate to local women's lives. The author shows how Nandadevi's appeal stems from the fact that her mythology parallels the life-courses of
the local peasant women, and that her ritual procession imitates their annual journey to the village of their birth. Drawing on formal Indian theories, verbal commentaries, songs, interviews, articles, propaganda, legends, pan-Indian Sanskrit liturgies, historical documents, and the author's remarkable personal account of the pilgrimage, this gripping narrative is a unique resource for courses in the anthropology of religion, Hinduism, and folklore, ritual, and gender studies.
Reviews / Votes
"...Mountain Goddess is a powerful and compelling study of politics, gender and ritual in the central Himalayas, one that will surely inspire other attempts to explicate the politics of South Asian ritual and cultural interpretation."--History of Religions"Perfect for my course in anthropology because of its treatment of kinship groups, ritual and politics."--Elaine Mayer, Salve Regina University
"The writing is fluid and full of information. What impressed me most is the greedy attitude of so-called priests who have made the Hindu religion beyond reach for much of the population. Sax's book brings this point across wonderfully."--L.G. Tewan, Sonoma State University
"I strongly recommend Mountain Goddess. It is the product of long and careful fieldwork and textual research, valuable for its beautiful translations, its ethnographic and analytic contributions, and above all for the integration of these."--Ann Grodzins Gold, Cornell University
"A sensitive and insightful study."--F.W. Blackwell, Washington State University
"The Royal Pilgrimage chapter deserves a place beside McKim Marriott's 'The Feast of Love' (1966) as one of the finest pieces on the ironies of participant observation in South Asia."--Committee on Women in Asian Studies Newsletter
"This is a valuable multidisciplinary contribution to South Asian studies and anthropological theory....[Sax's] rich and often humorous ethnographic description renders the book highly enjoyable reading for the layperson and expert alike. Together with its topicality, sound methodology, and affordability, Mountain Goddess would be an excellent choice for those who wish to provide students with a colorful insider's view of Indian culture, in general,
and an important pilgrimage tradition, in particular."--The Journal of Asian Studies
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 203 mm
Width: 135 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Weight
330 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-506979-2 (9780195069792)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Content
1: INTRODUCTION A Note on the Songs 2: CREATION Songs for Women 3: THE SMALL PILGRIMAGE Jats as Pilgrimages Birth and Marriage Place and Person in Garhwal The Male Model Separation and Reunion The Secret of Rupkund The Whole Village Bride-price A Female Perspective on Residence 4: THE GODDESS AND THE DEMON Devi and the Buffalo Demon The Sacrifice The Social Effects of Ritual 5: RAJ JAT History The Goddess and the Media The Background of Rivalry The Royal Pilgrimage of the Goddess Shri Nanda (1987) Ritual, Regionalism, and Politics Conclusion Appendix: Transliterated Texts Bibliography Index