10.17192/mjr.2016.18.3528 Lewis, Stephan Stephan Lewis Goddesses in the Hindu Tradition Marburg Journal of Religion : Vol 18 No 1 (2016) Philipps-Universität Marburg 2016 Hinduism Goddness Hinduismus Göttin Institute for Comparative Cultural Research - Study of Religions and Anthropology 2017-11-06 2016-06-02 en JournalArticle https://journals.uni-marburg.de/0004/2016/158/3528 urn:nbn:de:hebis:04-0004-2016-158-35281 https://doi.org/10.17192/mjr.2016.18.1 https://journals.uni-marburg.de/0004/2016/158/3528/3528.png 1612-2941 application/pdf https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0 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. 1612-2941 Marburg Journal of Religion Vol 18 No 1 (2016)