Navaratri: Celebrating the Goddess
Worship of the feminine is something that sets Hinduism apart from monotheistic religions like Christianity and Islam. In ancient times, worship of the Mother goddess was widely prevalent, but as patriarchy took root, this disappeared. Today, only Hinduism gives pride of place to female divinities who even have their own temples, and rituals specific to each region. For instance, in Tamil Nadu, we have the Amman temples and in Kerala we have the Bhagavati Seva rituals and Devi temples dedicated to the Goddess. Indian art too has always celebrated the divine feminine, be it in the verses of Ilango Adigal (Silappathikaram) or the rock cut sculptures at Ajanta and Ellora. Sublime theologies of the Goddess are part of Hindu philosophy as well. For instance, in Shakta theology, supreme divinity, power over creation, speech, mind, nature, liberation and even the universe is attributed to Devi, the Goddess, who is regarded as more powerful than the supreme gods, Shiva, Vishnu, Bra