The volume underscores the manner in which the religious cultures of goddesses are reflexes of larger social processes occurring historically in local contexts and illustrates transformations in how these same goddesses are understood when they migrate from indigenous social and cultural contexts to destinations with their devotees.

Popular religion in village India is overwhelmingly dominated by goddess worship. Goddesses can be nationally well-known like Durga or Kali, or they can be an obscure deity who is only known in a particular rural locale. The origins of a goddess can be both ancient--with many transitions or amalgamations with other cults having occurred along the way--and very recent. While some have tribal origins, others sprout up overnight due to a vivid dream. Inventing and Reinventing the Goddess: Contemporary Iterations of Hindu Divinities on the Move looks at the nature of how and why goddesses are...