Description
Book SynopsisMahasu is the joint name of four gods whose influence is widespread throughout the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Like other deities in the Western Himalayas, they are regarded as royal gods who rule over territories and people. This book traces changes in faith and practices surrounding the Mahasu brothers, and shows how the locals understand these changes by emphasizing the dominant role of humans in the decisions of the gods. The locals are also constantly testing the authenticity of the human mediumship. Thus, the book presents the claim that the gap between local conceptions of divinity and the perceptions of anthropologists regarding gods may be narrower than we think.
The Biography of a God: Mahasu in the Himalayas is based on ethnographic research, resulting in an important contribution to the study of Indian village deities, Himalayan Hinduism, lived Hinduism, and the anthropology of religion.
Table of ContentsTable of contents
Notes on Transliteration
Acknowledgment
Meet Mahasu
1. Gods on the Road
Getting into the Field
The Devta Institution
2. A Stormy Biography
Mahasu Appears Vs.1
Mahasu Appears Vs.2
The Gods They are a-Changin’
3. The Four Brothers
Personalities and Identities
The Four Kings
Mahasu as Shiva
Gods Between Here and Everywhere
4. Local Traditions in Times of Change
Local Rituals Fade, Gods Persevere
From Carnivore to Vegetarian
When Gods Settle Down
The Agency of Mahasu
5. Communicating with Mahasu
The God's Management
Mediums
Talking with Mahasu
Testing Mediums
Agency, Doubt, Mediation
Index
