Cult of demonic goddesses in North India

The present diploma-work concerns the phenomenon of belief in female demonic beings and goddesses in the North India. It maps the developement of their cults on the ba sis of archeological findings, textual sources and modern scientific research from the prehistory, through the middle-ages to our contemporary times. It follows and uncovers the process of domestication and confluence of the demonic / benign attributes in confrontation with the orthodox hinduism. Further, it deals with the problematic nature and identity of such goddesses or semi-devine beings, their multiplicity, context and form of their cult, religious meaning and position in the whole socio-religious system