Sprouts of the Body, Sprouts of the Field: Identification of the Goddess with Poxes in South India
Religions February 28, 2019 Perundevi Srinivasan
In south India, when a person is afflicted with poxes of any variety, it is believed that the goddess Mariyamman has “arrived„ in the person. The Tamil term “ammai„ means pustules or “pearls„ of poxes as well as mother/goddess. Indigenous discourses, gleaned from resources, such as songs and narratives, facilitate our interrogation of the Hindu “religious experience„ that underscores the...