Goddess worship
Also called: Shakti cult · Topic: Bhakti and Sufi Traditions · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 2 "Bhakti-Sufi Traditions"
Meaning
Goddess worship means praying to a female deity as a source of power and protection. In many villages, the goddess was simply a stone smeared with ochre (a red-brown earth colour). Over time, Brahmanas brought these local goddesses into the Puranic tradition by making them wives of the main gods, equal to Lakshmi (wife of Vishnu) or Parvati (wife of Shiva). Historians call this a dialogue between the "great" Sanskrit tradition and the "little" local traditions. It shows how Puranic Hinduism grew by taking in local cults instead of wiping them out.
Example
A village goddess worshipped as an ochre-smeared stone could come to be treated as a form of Parvati. Her shrine then became part of the wider Shaiva world of temples and pilgrimages. From around the 6th century, Tantric practices also made the worship of Shakti (the goddess as divine energy) important in eastern, northern and southern India.
Don't confuse with
- Tantra: a wider set of practices built on rituals, mantras and meditation. Goddess worship is one strong part of it, but Tantra also shaped Shaivism and Buddhism.