Nine Nights of the Goddess: The Navaratri Festival in South Asia

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Nine Nights of the Goddess explores the festival of Navaratri-alternatively called Navaratra, Mahanavami, Durga Puja, Dasara, and/or Dassain-which lasts for nine nights and ends with a celebration called Vijayadasami, or the tenth (day) of victory. Celebrated in both massive public venues and in small, private domestic spaces, Navaratri is one of the most important and ubiquitous festivals in South Asia and wherever South Asians have settled. These festivals share many elements, including the goddess, royal power, the killing of demons, and the worship of young girls and married women, but their interpretation and performance vary widely. This interdisciplinary collection of essays investigates Navaratri in its many manifestations and across historical periods, including celebrations in West Bengal, Odisha, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and Nepal. Collectively, the essays consider the role of the festival’s contextual specificity and continental ubiquity as a central component for understanding South Asian religious life, as well as how it shapes and is shaped by political patronage, economic development, and social status.