Assembling the Ritual Core

This chapter presents the vivid core of the ritual embodiment of the goddess Haḍimbā, namely her rath, a palanquin-like structure carried on devotees’ shoulders. It is through the movements of this ritual vehicle and the accompanying sessions of oracular possession that the goddess manifests and interacts with her devotees. Haḍimbā is revealed in these performances as an assembled entity, whose cognition and knowledge are distributed in networks of humans, objects, and environments, and whose actions are shaped in ritual arenas. Furthermore, the ritual encounters of her rath with those of other village deities integrate Haḍimbā into the regional web of ritual associations and establish her as a representative of her community. These rituals thus contribute to social formations of Haḍimbā’s community of followers, and she herself is established in them as a complex social agent who is pivotal to both communal stability and change.