Explores the rich diversity of narratives, rituals, and participants connected with one of the most important celebrations for Hindus in South Asia and in the diaspora.

Intro -- Contents -- List of Illustrations -- Acknowledgments -- Nine Nights of Power: Durgā, Dolls, and Darbārs-An Introduction -- Navarātri as Agent of Renewal and Transformation -- Propriety versus Creativity in Navarātri -- Gendered Identities in Navarātri -- Navarātri as Instrument of Power -- Conclusion -- Notes -- References -- Navarātri as Agent of Renewal and Transformation -- 1 Ritual of Revitalization: The Transformative Power of the Durgā Pūjā -- Introduction -- General Comments on Pūjā -- Communal Revitalization -- Personal Empowerment and Transformation -- Cosmic Renewal and Rejuvenation -- Concluding Remarks -- Notes -- References -- 2 Straddling the Sacred and the Secular: Presence and Absence of the Goddess in Contemporary Garbo, the Navarātri Dance of Gujarat -- Introduction -- Garbo in the Traditional Religious Context -- Innovations in Garbā in the Colonial and Postindependence Eras -- Contemporary Manifestations of Garbā -- Professionally Organized Garbā -- Organized Neighborhood Garbā -- Conclusion -- Notes -- References -- Propriety versus Creativity in Navarātri -- 3 Can Didi Truly Become Durgā?: The Riddle of the Two Goddesses -- Introduction: Political Deification -- Durgā Pūjā and the Network of Political Patronage -- The Case of the Communist Asura -- The Case of the Minister Goddess -- Twin Goddesses of Bengal -- Conclusion: Necessary Disavowals -- Notes -- References -- 4 Limits of Creativity: Kolu in Brahmin Vaisnava Households in Kāñcipuram -- Navarātri in Brahmin Vaisnava Settings -- Kolu and Brahmin Temple Priests -- Life-Sized Dolls -- Sundararajan's Family Tradition -- Conclusion -- Notes -- References -- Gendered Identities in Navarātri -- 5 Navarātri as a Festival of Hanumān and Male Asceticism -- Gendering a Hanumān-Centric Navarātri -- Restoring Hindu Masculinity -- Cultures of Masculinized Devotion.

Navarātri in Sālāsar: Hanumān Celebrated as an Ascetic -- Ascetic Masculinity on the Road -- Navarātri in Pānīpat: Hanumān as the Ideal Modern Man -- Hanumān Embodied in Rāmlīlā -- Conclusion -- Notes -- References -- 6 Going Home for Navarātri: Negotiating Caste, Class, and Gender between Rural and Urban Rajasthan -- Class, Caste, and Religion -- Class, Caste, and Gender in Pulan -- Celebrating Navarātri in Pulan -- Celebrating Navarātri in the Village -- Conclusions about Comfort -- Notes -- References -- 7 Female Agency during Tamil Navarātri -- Domestic Navarātri -- Ms. Madhumita's Kolu -- Making the Domestic Public -- Newly Started Kolus -- Kolu Rituals -- Transmission of Female Knowledge -- Prosperity and Auspiciousness -- Where Are the Men? -- Navarātri in Kāñcipuram Temples -- Navarātri in the Patavēttamman Temple -- Navaratri as Women's Festival -- Notes -- References -- Navarātri as Instrument of Power -- 8 Who Kills the Buffalo?: Authority and Agency in the Ritual Logistics of the Nepalese Dasaĩ Festival -- Introduction -- The Social Life of the Water Buffalo -- Dasaĩ and Buffalo Sacrifice in Nepal -- Procuring Buffaloes: Forced Participation -- Sacrificing Buffaloes: Staging the Warrior -- Partitioning Buffaloes: Blood, Meat, and Hierarchies -- Reappropriating Buffaloes: Countering State Perspectives -- Conclusion -- Notes -- References -- 9 Domains of Dasara: Reflections on the Struggle for Significance in Contemporary Mysore -- Performing the Past: Mahānavami and Dasara in Vijayanagara and Wodeyar Mysore -- Contemporary Contestation: The Movements of Dasara (as Observed in 2013) -- Temple Ritual Cycle -- Palace Ritual Cycle -- The Goddess, the King, and Politicians in the Contemporary Dasara Procession -- Conclusion -- Notes -- References.

10 The Ups and Downs of Competing Power Rituals: Dasarā and Durgā Pūjā in a Former Princely State of Odisha -- Introduction -- Dasarā in the Fort: A Sacrificial Polity after Merger -- Outline of the Rituals and Sacrificial Polity -- Declining Palace Rituals and the Increasingly Popular Worship of Kant Debī? -- Durgā Pūjā in the Market -- Outlining the Pūjā -- History, Organization, and Sponsorship of Durgā Pūjā in Bonaigarh -- A Temporary Down and a Novelty: Durgā Pūjā 2016 -- A Third Player: RSS and the Worship of Durgā -- Conclusion -- Notes -- References -- Contributors -- Index.