Hindu Goddesses: Beliefs and Practices (Religious Beliefs & Practices)

This book explores the diversity of Hindu goddesses and the variety of ways in which they are worshiped. Although they undoubtedly have ancient origins, Hindu goddesses and their worship is still very much a part of the fabric of religious engagement in India today, and this work offers an introduction to a complex and often baffling field of study. Part I, Beliefs, Providing a series of encounters with a range of Hindu goddesses, starting with the idea of Goddess as a philosophical concept, this work moves on to topics that include textual evidence for belief structures, goddess mythology, and the importance of the Goddess in Tantrism. This study then leads the reader through the tangled web of goddess worship, pausing along the way to examine the contrast between temple and local worship, the splendor of festivals, and the importance of pilgrimage to those places in India where goddesses are considered to reside. Details on the contemporary developments in goddess worship, such as the appearance of new deities who supply the needs of worshipers in the 21st century is also included.