The Religion and Folklore of Northern India

Book excerpt: This 2-volume study examines the reality of Hindu worship in northern India from the perspective of its popular manifestation. In rural areas, practical Hinduism differed dramatically from organized Vedic Hinduism and included cult worship of a multitude of local deities which were not formally recognized by the Vedas but exerted a greater influence on the rhythms, meanings and decisions of day-to-day life. Crooke's study may have been the first to look at the religion through eyes other than those of missionaries or the Hindu elite, seeking to fill a gap in European intellectual knowledge of India by documenting living traditions in a serious and accessible manner. Volume 1: The Godlings of Nature The Heroic and Village Godlings The Godlings of Disease The Worship of the Sainted Dead Worship of the Malevolent Dead Volume 2: The Evil Eye and the Scaring of Ghosts Tree and Serpent Worship Totemism and Fetishism Animal-Worship The Black Art Some Rural Festivals and Ceremonies