Hadimba Becoming Herself: A Himalayan Goddess in Change.

Ehud Halperin, Department of Religion, Columbia University.

In my research of the contemporary cult of the Himalayan goddess Hadimba in the Kullu Valley of North India, I examine the lived aspects of rural Hinduism and its encounter with modern capitalism. Hadimba, a hitherto regional goddess identified by devotees as a renowned Mahabharatan figure, has recently become a key attraction in a booming tourist industry, which is reshaping the economic, socio-political, and religious environment within which the goddess is embedded. My dissertation provides a comprehensive portrait of the goddess Hadimba as it emerges from oral accounts and ritual practice, describes the key religious institutions surrounding her, and examines how the local religious system, in which Hadimba plays a pivotal role, orients locals’ responses to and engagement with the rapid transformations introduced in their region in recent years.

My dissertation is comprised of four sections. The first explores the identity of the goddess Hadimba and shows that it is multifaceted in nature and comprised of several, often incongruent elements, which are emphasized according to changing contexts. In the second section I examine how locals react to the extra-local powers working in their region in recent years following the substantial expansion of roads, introduction of lucrative cash crops, and the emergence of a booming tourist industry. I show how the traditional religious worldview and ritual system, which is largely centered on Hadimba, inform locals’ understanding of their changing reality and guide their engagement with it. Specifically, I examine here the discourse on the changing weather and the controversial practice of buffalo sacrifice. I then move on to discuss the fascinating religious institution of the traveling palanquin. Hadimba, like many other goddesses and gods in the Kullu Valley, is often carried on devotees’ shoulders in a movable structure known as the “rath.”  I present the many aspects of this practice and analyze its important social functions. I conclude my dissertation by providing a detailed portrait of several of Hadimba’s devotees. I present the roles played by the goddess in their lives while paying close attention to the shared, as well as the different, meanings she holds for each of them.

My dissertation thus provides a comprehensive account of the Himalayan goddess Hadimba, who has never been systematically studied and who offers a fascinating case of a contemporary goddess in change. More broadly, my project provides insight into the nature of “lived” Hinduism, the ways in which it engages with the challenges posed by modern institutions and discourses, and the mechanisms through which it changes in contemporary India. Reading the changes in Hadimba’s cult opens a window on to how religious values are changing within the local community, the region, and Indian Hinduism more broadly.

The generous grant by the Institute of Religion, Culture and Public Life supported the important concluding period of my field research, from March to July 2011. I dedicated this time to accomplish several important goals. I conducted long interviews with Hadimba’s priests, who were relatively free in the period preceding the beginning of the tourist season. I observed the beginning of the tourist season and its effect on temple routines and local economy. And I documented two very important religious events: Hadimba’s birthday festival in May; and the grand buffalo sacrifice held in her honor in June. I am grateful for the support given to me by the institute, which was instrumental in enabling me to complete my research successfully.