the fortunes of Hindu festivals McDermott, Rachel Fell. creator text bibliography Electronic books. nyu 2011 2011 monographic eng 1 online resource (xviii, 372 pages) : illustrations Annually during the months of autumn, Bengal hosts three interlinked festivals to honor its most important goddesses: Durga, Kali, and Jagaddhatri. While each of these deities possesses a distinct iconography, myth, and character, they are all martial. Durga, Kali, and Jagaddhatri often demand blood sacrifice as part of their worship and offer material and spiritual benefits to their votaries. Richly represented in straw, clay, paint, and decoration, they are similarly displayed in elaborately festooned temples, thronged by thousands of admirers. The first book to recount the history of these festivals and their revelry, rivalry, and nostalgic power, this volume marks an unprecedented achievement in the mapping of a major public event. Rachel Fell McDermott describes the festivals' origins and growth under British rule. She identifies their iconographic conventions and carnivalesque qualities and their relationship to the fierce, Tantric sides of ritual practice. McDermott confronts controversies over the tradition of blood sacrifice and the status-seekers who compete for symbolic capital. Expanding her narrative, she takes readers beyond Bengal's borders to trace the transformation of the goddesses and their festivals across the world. McDermott's work underscores the role of holidays in cultural memory, specifically the Bengali evocation of an ideal, culturally rich past. Under the thrall of the goddess, the social, political, economic, and religious identity of Bengalis takes shape. Pūjā origins and elite politics -- The goddess in colonial and postcolonial history -- Durgā the daughter : folk and familial traditions -- The artistry of Durgā and Jagaddhātrī -- Durgā on the Titanic : politics and religion in the Pūjā -- The "orientalist Kālī" : a Tantric icon comes alive -- Approaches to Kālī Pūjā in Bengal -- Controversies and the goddess -- Deva in the diaspora -- Appendix : an overview of the press in Bengal up to 1947. Rachel Fell McDermott. Includes bibliographical references (pages 329-351) and index. In English. a-ii--- Durgā-pūjā (Hindu festival) India West Bengal Jagaddhātrī-pūjā (Hindu festival) India West Bengal Kālī-pūjā (Hindu festival) India West Bengal West Bengal (India) Religious life and customs RELIGION Hinduism Rituals & Practice RELIGION Comparative Religion Durgā-pūjā (Hindu festival) Jagaddhātrī-pūjā (Hindu festival) Kālī-pūjā (Hindu festival) India West Bengal BL1239.82.D87 M33 2011eb 294.5/36095414 McDermott, Rachel Fell. New York : Columbia University Press New York, ©2011 (DLC) 2010020693 (OCoLC)634739827 9780231527873 023152787X 22573/cttgtk71 JSTOR http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=944942 http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=944942 E7B 100520 20200709060330.0 ocn732958140 eng