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 in North India 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.
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