Shakta

This article aims at exploring certain archetypes in a select category of popular cosmogonic myths of Bengal that are inscribed with dialogic intertwinings of the canonical śāstric traditions of Hinduism and elements from Bengal’s own indigenous religious systems. The study highlights the undercurrent of a goddess oriented gynocntric cosmogonic narrative lying submerged beneath the genesis myth woven round the folk deity Dharma Niranjana; and explores the possibility of the latter’s appropriation of the former which also carries significant implications as regards the control and possession of female sexuality and body.

By exploring the features of Hinglaj Devi, the most important Hindu pilgrimage site in Pakistan, this article reveals how one local caste's version became hegemonic at Hinglaj and has today become practically synonymous with the "real" or the "actual" tradition of the goddess. Mainly utilizing my ethnographic material, this article describes how the increasingly plural religious landscapes at Hinglaj-seen in the vast crowds the annual festivals attract from a wide range of castes, languages, ethnicities, and nationalities-has not led to a democratization of interpretation of the shrine's various traditions, but rather to the solidification of a particular interpretation of Hinduism favored by the local Lasi Lohana community. Thanks to the vast institutional network attached to the temple committee-largely composed of Lasi Lohana group members-Lohana practices at the temple have been framed and disseminated in a way that suggests their association with broader notions of progress and education. [ritual journey, solidification, Baluchistan, Hinglaj Devi, Pakistani Hinduism]

RESUMEN Al explorar las características de Hinglaj Devi, el sitio de peregrinación hindú más importante en Pakistán, este artículo revela cómo una versión de una casta local del hinduismo llega a ser hegemónica en Hinglaj y hoy ha llegado a ser prácticamente sinónimo con la tradición "real" o "actual' de la diosa. Utilizando principalmente mi material etnográfico, este artículo describe cómo los paisajes religiosos cada vez más plurales en Hinglaj-vistos en las vastas multitudes de los festivales anuales que atraen un amplio rango de castas, lenguajes, etnicidades y nacionalidades-no han llevado a una democratización de la interpretación de las varias tradiciones del santuario, sino más bien a la solidificación de una interpretación particular del hinduismo favorecida por la comunidad local Lasi Lohana. Gracias a la vasta red institucional unida al comité del templo-compuesta en gran parte por miembros del grupo Lasi Lohana-las prácticas Lohana en el templo han sido enmarcadas y diseminadas en una forma que sugiere su asociación con nociones más amplias de progreso y educación. [viaje ritual, solidificación, Baluchistan, Hinglaj Devi, hinduismo pakistaní]

Book review by Sonali Gupta in History Today, Delhi, No. 3, 2002:

Francesco Brighenti, Sakti Cult in Orissa, D.K. Printworld, New Delhi, 2001, pp. xx +510, plates (b/w & col.) 66+33. Price: Rs. 2400.

“The word Sakti is powerful. It is the primordial energy of the universe and so represents cosmic energy. The author has confined his area of study to Orissa on account of its deep-rooted tribal influence and the continuity that the region represents in the evolution of the cult. According to the author the rise and spread of the Sakti cult brought within its folds, both non-Aryan and Aryan trends. These influences enabled the cult to reach out to all castes, creeds and sects, assuring wider acceptability and popularity. The author traces the roots of the Sakti cult in Orissa to the worship of the female principle. He then traces the migration and emigration of Austro-Asiatic, Dravidian and Aryan groups. Coupled with this, the author juxtaposes the developments in Orissa with developments in such cults elsewhere in the world. The inter relationships of the Sakti cult with Naga, Yaksa cults as well as tribal Shamanism are brought forth. In the historical period the growth of the cult from the Gupta period to the late medieval period is highlighted. There are instances of the fusion of the Sakti cult with the Shaiva cult and also Vaishnava. From the 5th to the 6th century A.D. the Sakta goddesses increase manifold. The subordination of the goddesses to the male gods in the past witnesses a reversal and the goddesses are seen in equal footing to the male gods. In his view this aspect is clearly an influence of tribal and matriarchal societies where equality between the sexes was the order, which is a moot point. Chapter 3 takes the readers to the important Sakta centres of eminence in Orissa, which are even today centres of Sakti worship. The manifestations of Sakti in different forms and iconographic representations are dealt with in detail. Further, the festivals and rituals associated with the cult show the undercurrents of the powerful Sakti cult, which are still in vogue. It is a 'must' read for historians and those interested in region specific studies of the cult. It has been a very well produced book.”

During this weekend I would like to tell the story of Swami Vivekananda’s relationship with Mother Kali.  On the whole, the stereotype we have of Swami Vivekananda does not emphasize or even accept that he had much to do with Kali, the black goddess  -  but we shall find that he did, indeed, and that the idea of divine power  -  of which Kali is the symbol  -  is a central one in his teachings.

'' ‘মনের মানুষ’ কি? কার মনের মানুষ? সুনীল-গৌতম ‘মনের মানুষ’ বলতে কি বোঝেন? ... সিনেমায় কি বুঝানো হল? লালন ফকির মনের মানুষের সঙ্গে মিলনের অপেক্ষায় থাকলেন, অথচ সুনীল-গৌতম দেখান যে মনের মানুষই তাকে দিয়ে কি সব কথাবার্তা বলায়। ‘মনের মানুষ’ কি আমাদের ‘অচেতন’? আমাদের ‘ইতিহাস’? সমাজ-উর্দ্ধ অলৌকিক সত্তা? ভাবাদর্শের উঁকিঝুঁকি? অস্পষ্ট থাকে ছবিতে। কিন্তু এই বই-ছবির সুনীল-গৌতমের ‘মনের মানুষ’ পরিস্ফুট এই বই-ছবিতে। কর্পোরেট পুঁজির যুগে তাদের মনের মানুষ হল কর্পোরেট ‘মনের মানুষ’। ইনকর্পোরেটেড। কর্পোরেটাইজড। কর্পোরেট বান্ধব। কর্পোরেট। কিরকম? মসৃন, মিষ্টি, কোমল, রহস্যময়, অনির্দিষ্ট,’অন্যরকম’, ‘আমাদের’, ‘ভালো’, ‘মানবতাবাদি’, ‘কুল’, ‘সেক্সি’।''

On the Politics of the film 'Moner Manush'. The film is about Lalon Fakir and the baul-fakir tradition of Bengal. But To what extent this film represents these this tradition and how? What is the cultural politics of this film ? How do we understand this film in a context of commodification and appropriation of the traditions and values of these radical praxises?

This paper uses ethnographic data collected during the course of several years of intensive fieldwork at the Kāmākhyā temple, including interviews with priests, local women, and young girls, and further supported by significant textual research in the Kaula Tantras. It explores the modern menstrual taboo and its relationship to the transitional period that makes the kumārī’s body no longer fit for worship, and shows how the tension inherent in the transition of menarche represents critical concepts of divinity and power in the Kāmākhyā kula.