Table of contents Notes on Transliteration Acknowledgment Meet Mahasu 1. Gods on the Road Getting into the Field The Devta Institution 2. A Stormy Biography Mahasu Appears Vs.1 Mahasu Appears Vs.2 The Gods They are a-Changin' 3. The Four Brothers Personalities and Identities The Four Kings Mahasu as Shiva Gods Between Here and Everywhere 4. Local Traditions in Times of Change Local Rituals Fade, Gods Persevere From Carnivore to Vegetarian When Gods Settle Down The Agency of Mahasu 5. Communicating with Mahasu The God's Management Mediums Talking with Mahasu Testing Mediums Agency, Doubt, Mediation Index

Mahasu is the joint name of four gods whose influence is widespread throughout the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Like other deities in the Western Himalayas, they are regarded as royal gods who rule over territories and people. This book traces changes in faith and practices surrounding the Mahasu brothers, and shows how the locals understand these changes by emphasizing the dominant role of humans in the decisions of the gods. The locals are also constantly testing the authenticity of the human mediumship. Thus, the book presents the claim that the gap between local conceptions of divinity and the perceptions of anthropologists regarding gods may be narrower than we think. <cite>The Biography of a God: Mahasu in the Himalayas</cite> is based on ethnographic research, resulting in an important contribution to the study of Indian village deities, Himalayan Hinduism, lived Hinduism, and the anthropology of religion.

Description based on online resource; title from digital title page (viewed on April 24, 2023).

Frontmatter -- Table of Contents -- List of Figures -- Notes on Transliteration -- Acknowledgments -- Meet Mahasu -- 1 Gods on the Road -- 2 A Stormy Biography -- 3 The Four Brothers -- 4 Local Traditions in Times of Change -- 5 Communicating with Mahasu -- Agency, Doubt, Mediation -- Index