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Religion, devotion and medicine in north India : the healing power of Sitala / Fabrizio M. Ferrari.
Author
Ferrari, Fabrizio M.
[Browse]
Format
Book
Language
English
Published/Created
New York : Bloomsbury Academic, 2015.
©2015
Description
xiii, 222 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Details
Subject(s)
Hinduism
—
India, North
—
Rituals
[Browse]
Śītalā (Hindu deity)
—
Cult
—
India, North
[Browse]
Summary note
"This volume examines notions of health and illness in North Indian devotional culture, with particular attention paid to the worship of the goddess Sitala, the Cold Lady. Consistently portrayed in colonial and postcolonial literature as the ambiguous 'smallpox goddess', Sitala is here discussed as a protector of children and women, a portrayal that emerges from textual sources as well as material culture. The eradication of smallpox did not pose a threat to Sitala and her worship. She continues to be an extremely popular goddess. Religion, Devotion and Medicine critically examines the rise and affirmation of the 'smallpox myth' in India and beyond, and explains how Indian narratives, ritual texts and devotional songs have celebrated Sitala as a loving mother who protects her children from the effects, and the fear, of poxes, fevers and infantile disorders but also all sorts of new threats (such as global pandemics, addictions and environmental catastrophes). The book explores a wide range of ritual and devotional practices, including scheduled festivals, songs, vows, pageants, austerities, possession, animal sacrifices and various forms of offering. Built on extensive fieldwork and a close textual analysis of sources in Sanskrit and vernacular languages (Hindi, Bhojpuri and Bengali) as well as on a rich bibliography on the struggle against smallpox in colonial and post-colonial India, the book reflects on the ambiguous nature of Sitala as a phenomenon largely dependent on the enduring fascination with the exotic, and the horrific, that has pervaded public renditions of Indian culture in indigenous fiction, colonial reports, medical literature and now global culture. To aid study, the volume includes images, web links, appendixes and a filmography."-- Provided by publisher.
Bibliographic references
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents
Machine generated contents note: 1. Sitala, the Cold Mother
The goddess Sitala in Indian literature
Puranas and dharmanibandhas
Tantric and agamic literature
The Bengali Sitalamangalkavyas
Bhakti giti
Concluding remarks
2. Visions of the goddess: The iconography of Sitala
Aniconic murtis
Ethnographic vignette 1 Sri Mata Sitala Devi Mandir, Gurgaon (Haryana)
The water pitcher
The broom and the winnower
Cephalomorphic murtis
Ethnographic vignette 2 The Agam Kuan, Patna (Bihar)
Ethnographic vignette 3 The Chota Ma Yatra, Salkia (West Bengal)
Zoomorphic and phytomorphic murtis
Equestrian murtis
The ass vahana
Ethnographic vignette 4 Sri Daksini Adi Sitala (Burhiya Mai) Mandir, Banaras (Uttar Pradesh)
3. Hosting Ma, feeding Ma. Controversies around Sitalapuja
Ethnographic vignette 5 Animal sacrifice: feeding and thanking the goddess
Ethnographic vignette 6 Possession: bearing the visit of the goddess
Ethnographic vignette 7 Mortification of the flesh: Sitala meets Mariyamman
4. The smallpox myth and the creation of the goddess of smallpox
Ethnographic vignette 8 The Bari Sitala Mandir of Adalpura (Uttar Pradesh)
Disease and ambiguity: The construction of the 'other' in the Bengali mangalkavyas
The consolidation of the smallpox myth: The struggle against smallpox
5. The legacy of Sitala
After smallpox. The AIDS myth?
Sitala's shade in Calcutta: On a contemporary mangal novel
The Durgafication of the goddess. Sitala in pop-devotional culture.
Show 28 more Contents items
Other title(s)
Healing power of Śītalā
ISBN
9781441163806 ((paperback))
1441163808 ((paperback))
9781441148292 ((hardback))
1441148299 ((hardback))
LCCN
2014025798
OCLC
875997279
Other standard number
40024466939
Statement on responsible collection description
Princeton University Library aims to describe library materials in a manner that is respectful to the individuals and communities who create, use, and are represented in the collections we manage.
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Religion, devotion and medicine in north India : the healing power of Sitala / Fabrizio M. Ferrari.
id
99118856053506421
Religion, devotion and medicine in north India : the healing power of Śītalā / Fabrizio M. Ferrari.
id
99125430181706421