Is the Goddess a feminist?

The Politics of South Asian Goddesses

Sheffield Academic Press, 2000.
Paperback, 287 pages

Feminist and non-feminist goddesses of India and Tibet

As is usual in anthologies like this one, the personal stance of the various authors varies, as does the quality of their writing and insights. I was disappointed, for example, by Kripal's essay - which does not really add much to what he has already told us in his book on Kali and Ramakrishna. The contributions, however, by Kathleen Erndl and Miranda Shaw alone make this book worth buying.

In the varied articles collected here we do find several interesting facts that are usually not presented to the Western reader:

At least one school of Kashmir Shaivism (the Krama school) was founded by yoginis.
Shakta female saints have higher status than their Vaishnava counterparts.
The tradition of the Kanphata yogis was far in advance of orthodox Hinduism. It permits widow remarriage, divorce, and the initiation of girls at the age of 12 along with boys. It also practiced initiation by female adepts.
English translations of Sanskrit texts all too often change originally female references to male ones.
It was not Indian society, but the British occupiers who condemned the devadasis as prostitutes, prohibited their art and drove the complete profession into extinction
Unfortunately, Hindu priestesses usually make no connection between the goddesses who posses them and women's empowerment.

Review: RCC
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