Flueckiger-When the World Becomes Female (1)

WHEN THE WORLD BECOMES FEMALE: GUISES OF A SOUTH INDIAN GODDESS

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Introduction to Tirupati

• Location: South Indian pilgrimage town of Tirupati

• God: Sri Venkateshvara (Vishnu)

• Significance: 50–60,000 pilgrims daily, up to 500,000 during festivals

• Economy: Revolves largely around pilgrimage services

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Festival of Gangamma

• Goddess: Gangamma revered for her excess, presence felt in varying forms

• Transformation during festival (jatara): Men dress in female forms (veshams)

• Symbolism: Represents a world imagined as female; goddess embodiment and men’s transformation into female guises

• Ritual Activities: Women cooking pongal, preparation for offerings, and chicken sacrifices

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The Nature of Ugram

• Gangamma's Nature: Described as ugra or excessive, requiring extensive rituals

• Purpose of Jatara: To summon/expand Gangamma’s presence and fulfill her desires while preventing destruction from excess

• Key Narrative: Gangamma's challenges against the Palegadu, reflecting her ugram

• Ritual Participants: Male and female participants yield different experiences of the goddess.

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Gendered Experiences of Ugram

• Female Capacity for Ugram: Women feel empowered by the goddess’s strength, viewing themselves as sharing shakti

• Dichotomy with Male Experiences: Men perceive the goddess's excess as intimidating; experience of fear associated with lacking power

• Final Notes on Participation: Jatara acts as site of gender transformation where the male experience of femininity and female empowerment converges

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Reimagining Masculinity

• Transformation Through Guising: Discusses gender roles; males have transformative experiences during the festival, potentially shifting male identities

• Narrative Context: Comparisons between different versions of Gangamma narratives elucidate varying gendered understandings

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Gangamma's Relationships

• Relations: Gangamma's interrelation with other village goddesses, aesthetics of gender roles

• Impact of Urbanization & Changing Morality: Changes influencing participation in rituals and rituals' practices

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Ritual Practices & Aesthetics

• Exploration of Aesthetics of Excess: The multiplicity of rituals and their significance in representing ugram

• Primary Ritual Sites: Different ritual locations generate unique aspects to Gangamma’s worship

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The Guisings of the Goddess

• Vesham: The understanding of guising through attire and the goddess's characteristics

• Mythological Instances of Guising: Exploring narratives where deities transform for recognition, affecting social dynamics

• Gangamma’s Human Body as Vesham: Connection of narratives of Gangamma with her identity and female audiences

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Veshams and Their Symbolism

• Cultural Significance of Guising: The relationship of male ritual participants transforming their identities

• Consideration of Modernity: Reflection on changing cultural norms impacting the understanding of stri vesham and gender roles

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Rituals by Women

• Domestic Ritual Participation: The roles women maintain through myth and the memory of the goddess within the domestic space

• Gender and Ritual: Exploration of how women enact their relationship with the goddess through domestic rituals

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Visual Representation of Veshams

• Photography of Stri Veshams: Represents the societal acceptance of transformed identities during ritual

• Gender Subversion Through Photography: Exploring the potential of photographs to challenge or reinforce gender constructs

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Gender Dynamics in Jatara

• Complex Interplay: Examination of how gender interactions and roles shift during the jatara, reinforcing or challenging societal norms

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Evolution of Traditional Practices

• Contemporary Issues: Discussion on how modern pressures reshape the practices surrounding Gangamma & her symbolic narratives

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Conclusion of Study

• Reflection on Transformation: Considerations of the evolving roles within Gangamma traditions amid sociocultural changes

• Future of Gendered Spaces: Speculation on the sustainability and adaptation of gender roles within future jatara celebrations and rituals