During the goddess Gangamma's festival in the town of Tirupati, lower-caste men take guises of the goddess, and the streets are filled with men wearing saris, braids, and female jewelry. By contrast, women participate by intensifying the rituals they perform for Gangamma throughout the year, such as cooking and offering food. Joyce Burkhalter Flueckiger argues that within the festival ultimate reality is imagined as female and women identify with the goddess, whose power they share. Vivid accounts by male and female participants offer new insights into Gangamma's traditions and the nature of Hindu village goddesses.
- ISBN10 025300960X
- ISBN13 9780253009609
- Publish Date 23 July 2013
- Publish Status Active
- Out of Print 10 April 2021
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Indiana University Press
- Format eBook
- Pages 336
- Language English