possession by durga. 165
cussion of his long-standing devotion to the Goddess and the miracles she had per-
formed for him, he volunteered the information that he had recently started to
“play,” describing his experience as follows.
I do pujatwice a day. When I go to ajagrata, I get the experience of possession. I
see Deviseated on a lion, and my head starts whirling around. This has been hap-
pening for five or six months now....I get a feeling of wind (pavan) over-
whelming me like a whirlwind and see the image of Devi. I am not afraid of this
experience. I sit in front of a flame every day and concentrate. The wind comes
when I am listening to a beautiful song. At first my wife worried that I would re-
nounce the world, but now she and the children realize what it is.^8This informant ’s description of a vision (darfan) of the Goddess accompanied
by the sensation of wind is typical of possession experience. The vision of the God-
dess and the statements she makes while inhabiting her vehicle are the major signs
that distinguish possession by Devifrom possession by other deities or spirits.
In a performance situation such as a jagrata, possession is often found to be
planned, even orchestrated, plus which there seems to be a progression from an ini-
tial spontaneous incident to more controlled and periodic possessions. A woman
may start to become possessed on a specific day of the week, such as Tuesday or Fri-
day, or on the eighth day of the bright fortnight of the lunar month—days tradi-
tionally associated with Goddess worship. When news of this spreads outside her
family, people may come on these days to sing devotional songs, offer her gifts, and
ask for her help as an oracle or healer. The woman may start to hold ritual functions
in her home on a regular basis; she may be invited to participate in these events at
others’ homes. She may build a small shrine or temple and/or start making pil-
grimages with her devotees to Devitemples. In this way, a small cult begins to form.
During the spring and fall Navaratras and the ten-day festival during the month
of Savan (July–August), pilgrimage places such as Jvala Mukhi, Chintpurni, and
Naina Devi are besieged by these women (called Matas, “mothers”) and their en-
tourages. They come from villages and towns all over the greater Punjab, bearing red
flags and other offerings. They bring drums, cymbals, and musical instruments—
nowadays even a cassette tape player—and set up “stage” in the temple courtyard.
After lighting incense and a lamp, they start drumming and singing, and the Matabe-
gins to “play.” People in her entourage and other pilgrims at the temple approach the
Matato worship, make a small cash offering, and then ask for a prophecy or favor.