Burley, M orcid.org/0000-0002-7446-3564 (2019) Dance of the Deodhās: Divine Possession, Blood Sacrifice and the Grotesque Body in Assamese Goddess Worship. Religions of South Asia, 12 (2). pp. 207-233. ISSN 1751-2689
Abstract
‘Possession’ by a deity or spirit has been a prevalent phenomenon in many religious and cultural milieus, including those of South Asia. Yet it has frequently been neglected by Indologists and marginalized by elite religious authorities. Also underexplored have been forms of goddess worship in Northeast India, where Tantric Hinduism has been strongly influenced by non-Hindu indigenous traditions. Helping to fill these gaps, this article examines the Deodhanī festival (also known as Manasā Pūjā) at the Kāmākhyā temple in Assam, the centrepiece of which is a prolonged dance by ‘shamanistic’ deodhās, whom devotees claim to be possessed by deities that include several ferocious goddesses. Utilizing the concept of the ‘grotesque body’ from theories of art and literature, and contextualizing the festival in relation to the broader background of the temple and to practices of possession elsewhere, the article illuminates the themes of divine possession, animal sacrifice and transgressive ritual.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © Equinox Publishing Ltd 2019. This is an author produced version of article published in Religions of South Asia. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | Assam; Goddess; Hinduism; possession; sacrifice; Tantra |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science (Leeds) > Theology and Religious Studies (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 11 Sep 2018 10:43 |
Last Modified: | 25 Apr 2021 00:38 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Equinox Publishing |
Identification Number: | 10.1558/rosa.36287 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:135532 |