Logo

Orissa is a major center of Hinduism. Cult of the Goddess is an anthropological study. of religious change taking place in a Hindu Temple located in Orissa’s largest city. Here a once small neighbourhood goddess temple has suddenly grown to become the most widely attended religious institution in the city. The book explores the inner workings of this temple and illustrates the _ importance of goddess worship. Cult of the Goddess is an unusual ethnographic description of Orissan Hinduism as experienced by an American anthropologist. The book is an additional testimony to the great flexibility to Hinduism. Even under conditions of intense internal conflicts, this small shrine devoted to goddess Chandi ~ emerges triumphant. Unlike other temples that have been torn apart by internal strife, this shrine has managed to become a thriving center of popular Hinduism. Devotion to the goddess assists newly urbanized people as they adjust to new conditions imposed by city life. | Cult of the Goddess should inspire Hindus to have faith in the durability of their temples as viable institutions for the perpetuation of Hinduism in modern India.