Bloodthirsty, or Not, That Is the Question: An Ethnography-Based Discussion of Bhadrakāḷi’s Use of Violence in Popular Worship, Ritual Performing Arts and Narratives in Central Kerala (South India)
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- Catalogue identifier
- kali-0064
- Alternate titles and import identifiers
- KALI-0064; doi:10.3390/rel11040170
- Author or attribution
- Pasty-Abdul Wahid, Marianne
- Record type
- Article
- Language
- English
- Date / edition
- 2020/4
- Source / repository
- Religions
- Access
- Open access
- Subjects
- Kali Library Research Catalogue; Academic Research and Peer-Reviewed Articles; Contemporary Worship and Living Traditions
Description and curator notes
An ethnographic investigation of whether Bhadrakāḷī should be understood simply as a bloodthirsty goddess. Drawing on worship, ritual performance, and versions of the Dārika story in central Kerala, the article examines how violence is represented, generated, controlled, and interpreted in particular ritual settings. It pays attention to relationships among the goddess, devotees, ritual specialists, and other beings rather than assuming that every bloody offering has the same recipient or meaning. The work supplies detailed regional context for reading fierce goddess iconography and challenges generalized descriptions of Kali worship detached from local practice.
KALI-0064 — Kali Library Research Catalogue.
Access and reliability assessments below are supplied by the curator's 4–5 November 2026 research release, not a new independent verification.
Author / attribution: Pasty-Abdul Wahid, Marianne
Publication: Religions · 2020/4
Religions 11(4), 170
Format / language: Journal article · English
Identifier: doi:10.3390/rel11040170
Kali relevance: Bhadrakali is the central subject throughout.
Context: Central Kerala; ethnography; ritual theatre and offerings.
Subjects: Academic Research and Peer-Reviewed Articles; Contemporary Worship and Living Traditions
Evidence / reliability: Peer-reviewed scholarly journal
Access / rights: Complete text checked 2026-11-04. CC BY 4.0 as stated on publisher page; attribution required.
Source and alternate access links:
Read complete text: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/11/4/170
Source access
Read or locate the original source at Religions
Rights and reading conditions
Complete text checked 2026-11-04. CC BY 4.0 as stated on publisher page; attribution required. This library links to the source and does not reproduce its full text.
Citation
Pasty-Abdul Wahid, Marianne. Bloodthirsty, or Not, That Is the Question: An Ethnography-Based Discussion of Bhadrakāḷi’s Use of Violence in Popular Worship, Ritual Performing Arts and Narratives in Central Kerala (South India). Religions · 2020/4.
This page supplies catalogue metadata and links. It does not reproduce the underlying source text. Historical, religious, healing and interpretive claims belong to the cited sources, not to an independent verification by this catalogue.