TY - JOUR AU - Majo Garigliano, Irene PY - 2018/09/30 Y2 - 2024/03/29 TI - The Dreadful Dance of the Goddess: Creativity and Mimesis in a Possession Cult of Assam JF - Cracow Indological Studies JA - CracowIndologicalStudies VL - 20 IS - 1 SE - Articles DO - 10.12797/CIS.20.2018.01.08 UR - https://journals.akademicka.pl/cis/article/view/320 SP - 185-222 AB - <p>Every year in August devotees flock to the Kāmākhyā temple (Guwahati, Assam), to attend and observe the Deodhāni-nāc, (the dance [<em>nāc</em>] of the sound [<em>dhāni</em>] of god [<em>deo</em>]). The main feature of this three-day festival is the dance of the <em>deodhās</em>. The <em>deodhās</em>, Assamese males, become possessed by the goddess Kāmākhyā (and the other deities connected to her) and dance to the beat of drums. The dance of <em>deodhās</em> reproduces to some extent the character and iconography of the possessing deities, but is not limited to that. Through the use of his body, each <em>deodhā</em> actively interprets this shared image of the deity, dancing in a singular way. The paper focuses on the creative, yet unconscious process through which each <em>deodhā</em> shapes his peculiar dancing style.</p> ER -