Goddesses in the Hindu Tradition - Overview and Analysis of Two Goddess Traditions

Aug 23, 2026

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A scholarly overview examines two primary Hindu goddess traditions: the formal tradition (often termed Aryan, Pan-Indian, or “great”) and the gramadevata tradition (village goddesses, Dravidian, non-Aryan, folk, or “little”). After outlining each tradition’s origins, roles, forms, and patterns of worship, the article provides in-depth study of Sri-Laksmi and Mathamma. The argument frames the traditions as distinct streams from an ancient goddess current that later interinfluence, producing major similarities.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Overview of Goddess Traditions

An Overview of the Formal Tradition Through Six Major Goddesses

Kali

Durga

Parvati

Goddesses in the Hindu Tradition Stephen G. Lewis Abstract This article provides an overview and analysis of the two primary Hindu goddess traditions—the formal tradition (often called the Aryan, Pan-Indian or great) and the gramadevata tradition (also known as village goddesses, Dravidian, non-Aryan, folk or little) . A broad sketch of each tradition is followed by an in-depth description of a goddess from each tradition. The overview of the formal tradition looks at six major goddesses in the formal tradition: Kali, Durga, Parvati, Sarasvati, Radha, and Sita. The overview of the gramadevata tradition examines origin myths, typical functions, common forms, and characteristics of worship. For the in-depth description of a goddess from each tradition, Sri-Laksmi is examined from the formal tradition and Mathamma from the gramadevata tradtion. After examining the two traditions, I argue the two traditions are two separate traditions emerging from an ancient goddess tradition. Yet, these two traditions influence each other, resulting in significant similarities, with the gramadevata tradition exerting the most influence. Goddesses in the Hindu Tradition H. Chongloi summarizes what so many have said about “Hinduism”, “Elasticity may be considered the celebrated trait of Hinduism, for in its religious history of about four millenniums, it is next to impossible to separate the different strands that had shaped Hinduism into clear-cut demarcations.” (Chongloi 2002, 31) The goddess tradition is no exception. “Hindu Goddess worship is a highly developed complex of myth, ritual and theology, with many regional variants,”(Erndl 1997, 20) and the Hindu goddess traditions of India are recognized as the only place where worship of the feminine divine exists in many diverse ways (Harvey and Baring 1996, 150) . Despite the diversity, most scholarship breaks the goddess tradition into two categories. I call the first the formal tradition (often called the Aryan, Pan-Indian or great) . I call the second the gramadevata tradition (also known as village goddesses, Dravidian, non-Aryan, folk or little) . After examining the two traditions, I will argue they are akin to two separate streams emerging from a lake, yet downstream these rivers may flood and spill over into each other at times, resulting in significant similarities, with the gramadevata tradition exerting the most influence. Overview of Goddess Traditions In this section I briefly describe the major goddesses in the formal tradition, and then survey the gramadevata tradition. In the following section I examine a goddess from each of the two traditions. An Overview of the Formal Tradition Through Six Major Goddesses Significant facts regarding six of the seven major goddesses 1 in the formal tradition are outlined here; then the seventh goddess (Sri-Laksmi) is considered in more depth below. However, this section does not represent all the goddesses in the formal tradition or all the ways the goddesses are worshipped, let alone encompass all their unique representations. In fact, a devotee may seethe same goddess differently dependent upon the context (Orr 2005, 37) . The goddesses’ interaction with male deities represents an important aspect of the formal tradition. Often the goddesses personify the male deities’ sakti (personified power/energy) . Sakti is not merely the power of creation, but also of delusion, destruction, or ignorance as the many aspects of sakti can have positive and negative connotations (Pintchman 1994, 198) . Furthermore, the relationship of the gods and goddesses often reflects women’s societal role (Preston 1985, 13) . Kali. Kali is a major goddess in the Tantric tradition, making her one of India’s most worshipped goddesses. She is an example of a gramadevata who becomes a supreme deity (Curran 2005, 175) . In some areas she is considered part of the Mahadevi (great goddess) along with Sarasvati and Laskmi (Sandness 2010, 510) . The earl

FAQs

What two goddess traditions does the article focus on?

The article focuses on the formal tradition and the gramadevata tradition, often contrasted as great/learned versus village/folk goddess worship.

Which goddesses are surveyed in the formal tradition overview?

The formal tradition overview examines six major goddesses: Kali, Durga, Parvati, Sarasvati, Radha, and Sita, with a deeper focus later on Sri-Laksmi.

What is the article’s main argument about the relationship between the two traditions?

It argues the two traditions emerge as separate streams from an ancient goddess tradition, yet they influence each other, with the gramadevata tradition exerting the most influence.

Aug 23, 2026

Upload by Jacob