Pilgrimage and Politics in Colonial Bengal

The Myth of the Goddess Sati

Imma Ramos

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English

Routledge
21 January 2023

The Arts: General & Reference; Religious subjects depicted in art; Religion & beliefs; History of religion; Hindu life & practice

From the late nineteenth century onwards the concept of Mother India assumed political significance in colonial Bengal. Reacting against British rule, Bengali writers and artists gendered the nation in literature and visual culture in order to inspire patriotism amongst the indigenous population. This book will examine the process by which the Hindu goddess Sati rose to sudden prominence as a personification of the subcontinent and an icon of heroic self-sacrifice. According to a myth of cosmic dismemberment, Sati’s body parts were scattered across South Asia and enshrined as Shakti Pithas, or Seats of Power. These sacred sites were re-imagined as the fragmented body of the motherland in crisis that could provide the basis for an emergent territorial consciousness. The most potent sites were located in eastern India, Kalighat and Tarapith in Bengal, and Kamakhya in Assam. By examining Bengali and colonial responses to these temples and the ritual traditions associated with them, including Tantra and image worship, this book will provide the first comprehensive study of this ancient network of pilgrimage sites in an art historical and political context.

By: Imma Ramos
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 246mm, Width: 174mm,
Weight: 258g
ISBN: 9781032476933
ISBN 10: 1032476931
Pages: 138
Publication Date: 21 January 2023
Audience: College/higher education , General/trade , Primary , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Imma Ramos is curator of the South Asia collections at the British Museum in London. Her research interests revolve around the relationship between religion, politics and gender in South Asian visual culture.

Reviews for Pilgrimage and Politics in Colonial Bengal: The Myth of the Goddess Sati

“Ramos’ book is a compelling read and an important contribution to our larger understanding of the complex intersections between religion, politics, sacred space, pilgrimage, and national identity. … [This] is an important book that should be of genuine interest to anyone interested in the study of pilgrimage, sacred space, religious nationalism, and modern Indian history.” --Journal of South Asian Studies “Ramos weaves a narrative from the threads of traditional religious practices, shrines, visual culture, and politics into a whole cloth that gives us a better sense of the Bengali imagination undergoing its transformations of modernity in its distinctive way. Highly recommended.” --Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies “This is a fascinating and well-crafted study that dwells substantially in the concrete rather than in the theoretical or the historiographical. … Historians of Indian nationalism, art historians, and scholars of South Asian religion will all learn much from this valuable work.” --International Journal of Hindu Studies