This book chronicles the rise and subsequent fortunes of goddess worship (Saktism) in the region of Bengal from the middle of the eighteenth century to the present. The primary documents are the lyrics directed to the goddess, beginning with those of the first of the Sakta lyricist-devotees, Ramprasad Sen (ca. 1718-1775), and continuing up through those of the gifted poet Kazi Nazrul Islam (1899-1976). McDermott places the advent of the Sakta lyric in its historical context and charts the vicissitudes over time of this form of goddess worship, including the nineteenth century resurgence of Saktism in the cause of Nationalist politics. The main thesis of the book concerns the democratizing and sweetening of Kali and the Bengalization of Uma (and by extension her husband Shiva). The esoteric tantric Kali of Ramprasad, McDermott shows, is transformed, losing much of her fierce, wild, dangerous, bloody character as she increasingly becomes apprehended as mother by her devoted 'children'. The remarkable and extensive body of poetry McDermott draws on in her study has never been translated into English. Her own translations of a selection of these poems will be published as a companion volume entitled Singing to the Goddess: Poems to Kali and Uma from Bengal.
Reviews
Offers a much-needed contribution to the field of South Asia studies and to the history of religions as a whole ... a remarkably thorough and powerfully argued study ... impressive. * History of Religions *



Book Information
ISBN 9780195134353
Author Rachel Fell McDermott
Format Hardback
Page Count 464
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 821g
Dimensions(mm) 160mm * 235mm * 34mm