Dr Bjarne Wernicke Olesen Hinduism and the Goddess Śāktism and Śākta traditions (part 1)

Hinduism and the Goddess Śāktism and Śākta traditions (part 1) Dr Bjarne WernickeOlesen Hinduism cannot be understood without the Goddess and the goddessoriented Śākta traditions. Worship of the Goddess pervades Hinduism at all levels, from village deities to highcaste panHindu goddesses to esoteric, tantric goddesses. Nevertheless, these highly influential forms of South Asian religion have only recently begun to draw a more broad scholarly attention. The Goddess and her network of Śākta traditions is often subsumed under the broad category of Śāktism, which is by many considered one of the major branches of Hinduism next to Śaivism and Vaiṣṇavism. Śāktism is, however, less clearly defined than the other major branches and sometimes surprisingly difficult to discern from Śaivism in its tantric forms. These sometimes very complex and challenging forms of Śākta religion therefore provide a