Want to create an interactive transcript for this episode?
Podcast: New Books in South Asian Studies
Episode: Ina Marie Lunde Ilkama, "The Play of the Feminine" (HASP, 2023)
Description: In Tamil Nadu, the nine-night autumnal NavarÄtri festival can be viewed as a celebration of feminine powers in association with the goddess. Ina Marie Lunde Ilkama's bookĀ The Play of the FeminineĀ (HASP, 2023) explores NavarÄtri as it is celebrated in the South Indian temple town of Kanchipuram. It investigates the local mythologies of the goddess, two temple celebrations, and the domestic ritual practice known asĀ koluĀ (doll displays). The author highlights three intersecting themes: namely the play of the goddess in myth and ritual, the religious agency and images of women and the divine feminine, and notions of pla...