The Cult of Draupadi: On Hindu Ritual and the Goddess, Vol. 2
This volume on Draupadi cult ritual follows a simple structure. It takes the order of a Draupadi festival from beginning to end. It thus mirrors the second part of volume 1 of the study, which does the same thing for Draupadi cult mythology. For those whose primary interest is in ritual, it can, of course, be read independently of the first volume, since where the myths are pertinent to understanding the rituals, the information has been repeated.
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This is the first volume of a projected three-volume work on the little-known South Indian folk cult of the goddess Draupadi and on the classical epic, the Mahabharata, that the cult brings to life in mythic, ritual, and dramatic forms. Draupadi, the chief heroine of the Sanskrit Mahabharata, takes on many unexpected guises in her Tamil cult, but her dimensions as a folk goddess remain rooted in a rich interpretive vision of the great epic. By examining the ways that the cult of Draupadi commingles traditions about the goddess and the epic, Alf Hiltebeitel shows the cult to be singularly representative of the inner tensions and working dynamics of popular devotional Hinduism.
List of Maps and Figures List of Plates List of Tables Acknowledgments Conventions 1. Introduction 2. Draupadi Temples and Their Ritual Officiants 3. The Ritual Cycle and the Temple Icons 4. Offering Souls 5. Flag Hoisting and Tying of Kappu 6. Posts, Altars, and Demon Devotees 7. Rituals of Battle 8. Patukalam Configurations: Arjuna's Artifacts 9. Aravan's Battlefield Sacrifice to Kali 10. Patukalam Sequences 11. Death and Revival 12. Thighs and Hair 13. Effigies and Forts 14. Timiti, the Firewalk 15. Closures Appendix Abbreviations Bibliography General Index Index of Temple and Festival Sites
