The Play of the Gods, first published in 1980, a seminal study of Indian sacred festivals, appears here in a new, expanded and illustrated edition. The two related festivals considered here Durgapuja, in honor of the Goddess Durga, and Gajan, in honor of the Lord Siva-are the most popular and most complex of Bengali rituals, involving elaborate preparation and wide and ever-increasing participation. The detailed description and interpretation of the rituals ...
