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Sakti is the Mother of the Universe: the highest primal power. She is the all-pervading, intangible energy principle that propels the cosmos and its endless human dimensions with the life-throbs of activity and culture. Camunda, the Divine Mother is one of the manifestations of Sakti. She is the most ferocious goddess of the Hindu pantheon. The cult of Camunda is of considerable antiquity. The Mahabharat, the Puranas and other literary texts have provided vivid accounts of the origin of the goddess. The author besides emphasizing on the literary descriptions of the deity has also discussed the emergence and representation of the goddess who has occupied a prominent place in the sculptural history of India through the ages.

Here the author presents a rich and variegated picture of the Camunda art of Orissa, highlighting the iconography of individual images with special reference to the Silpa and Tantric texts. He focuses on different depictions of Camunda images. The book also incorporates the genesis of Sakti cult, Sakta pithas of Odisha, origin and evolution of the goddess Camunda, survey of Camunda sculptures found both in Odisha and Indian sub-continent. The work abounds in photographs revealing the variety forms of the goddess which will create interest for scholars and students of Indology, particularly those studying religious art, architecture and sculpture of Odisha in particular and that of India in general.

Contents: Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. Camunda in the mythology. 3. Genesis and evolution. 4. Iconography. 5. Survey of Camunda images. 6. Camunda in Indian context. 7. Conclusion. Glossary. Bibliography. Index.