The region of the Western Himalayas has a special association with the Goddess worship and the related art and architecture perhaps because of her close association with the mountains she is the daughter of the Himalaya. As the wife of Siva also, her abode is mountains. This appears to be the reason that most of the Saktipithas are located in the Western Himalayas, especially in Himachal Pradesh.
The present work dwells upon various aspects of the Goddess worship in the region and presents an analytical study of the finer points such as the mainstream worship and the local rituals performed in connection with the goddess worship in various parts of Himachal Pradesh. It also takes a stock of the antiquity of the goddess temples such as those of Brahmaur and Chatrari in Chamba district, which date back to the seventh century CE, and the development of the Devi temple architecture up to c. 1200 CE. The images of goddess in her various forms, especially as Mahishasuramardini such as the exquisite brass images of Lakshana De3vi, Sakti Devi, Hatesvari and other have been minutely studied to trace the development of tradition as well as iconography. The work thus presents a deep study of various aspects of the goddess worship and related topics taken up in objective historical perspective. |
