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Description of  Change, Continuity and Complexity: The Mah vidy s in East Indian kta Traditions

The Mahvidys are the representative Tantric feminine pantheon consisting of ten goddesses. It is formed by divergent religious strands and elements: the mt and yogin worship, the cult of Kl and Tripurasundar, Vajrayna Buddhism, Jain Vidydevs, aiva and Vaiava faith, rvidy, the Brahmanical strand of Puranic traditions, etc. This volume is the first attempt to explore the historical process, through which these traditions culminated in the Mahvidy cult and the goddesses with different origins and contradictory attributes were brought into a cluster, with special reference to socio-political changes in the lower Gag and Brahmaputra Valley between the 9th and 15th centuries CE. Based on a close analysis of Puras, Tantras and inscriptional evidence, and on extensive field research on archaeological remains as well as sacred sites, Jae-Eun Shin discusses the two trajectories of the Mahvidys in eastern kta traditions. Each led to the systematization of Daamahvidys in a specific way: one, as ten manifestations of Durg upholding dharma in the cosmic dimension, and the other, as ten mandalic goddesses bearing magical powers in the actual sacred site. Their attributes and characteristics have neither been static nor monolithic, and the mode of worship prescribed for them has changed in a dialectical religious process between Brahmanical and Tantric traditions of the region. This is the definitive work for anyone seeking to understand goddess cults of South Asia in general and the history of eastern kta traditions in particular. To aid study, the volume includes images, diagrams and maps. Read more