Connected Places: Region, Pilgrimage, and Geographical Imagination in India [Paperback]

This book examines the words and actions of people who live in regions in the state of Maharashtra in Western India to illustrate the idea that regions are not only created by humans, but given meaning through religious practices. By exploring the people living in the area of Maharashtra, Feldhaus draws some very interesting conclusions about how people differentiate one region from others, and how we use stories, rituals, and ceremonies to recreate their importance. Feldhaus discovers that religious meanings attached to regions do not necessarily have a political teleology. According to Feldhaus, 'There is also a chance, even now, that religious imagery can enrich the lives of individuals and small communities without engendering bloodshed and hatred'.Introduction Rivers and Regional Consciousness The Pilgrimage to Singnapur The Old Bhakta Wives and Sisters Numbered Sets of Pilgrimage Places Southern Kasi: Replication of North Indian Religious Geography in Maharashtra Pilgrimage and Remembrance: Biography and Geography in Mahanubhav Traditions Conclusion

Among scholars born outside India, Anne Feldhaus is unquestionably the foremost Maharashtrianist of her generation. Now she asks the central question: What is Maharashtra? The answer unfolds in lucid prose that takes us to many corners of that pivotal region in western India, introducing us to the interconnected deities, rivers, mountains, temples, and people that make it what it is. Their stories are the subject of the book, but one of its most engaging features is the presence of Anne herself, asking the questions and describing the journey.

- John Stratton Hawley, Barnard College, Columbia University

This important and engaging book interprets a rich set of oral and written sources from a single Indian state. Yet, through its focus on the myriad connections among Maharashtra's holy places, it transcends its geographical confines to illumine broad vistas of religioul³