TY - BOOK ID - 77861663 TI - Ritual worship of the great goddess PY - 2003 SN - 0791488446 1417506806 9781417506804 0791454002 9780791454008 0791453995 9780791453995 9780791488447 0791453995 9780791453995 PB - Albany, NY State University of New York Press DB - UniCat KW - Durgā-pūjā (Hindu festival) KW - Fasts and feasts KW - Hinduism KW - Durgā KW - Cult. KW - Durgā (Hindu deity) KW - Durga (Hindu deity) KW - Durga-puja (Hindu festival) UR - https://www.unicat.be/uniCat?func=search&query=sysid:77861663 AB - During a nine-day period every autumn, Hindus in India and throughout the world worship the Great Goddess, Durgā--the formidable deity who is loved like a mother. One of the most dramatic and popular of these celebrations is the Durgā Pūjā, a rite noted for its visual pageantry, ritual complexity, and communal participation. In this book, Hillary Peter Rodrigues describes the Bengali style of Durgā Pūjā practiced in the sacred city of Banaras from beginning to end. A romanization of the Sanskrit litany is included along with an English translation.In addition to the liturgical description, Rodrigues provides information on the rite's component elements and mythic aspects. There are interpretive sections on puja, the Great Goddess, women's roles in the ritual, and the socio-cultural functions of the ritual. Rodrigues maintains that the Durgā Pūjā is a rite of cosmic rejuvenation, of empowerment at both the personal and social levels, and a rite that orchestrates manifestations of the feminine, both Divine and human. ER -