From Chhinnamasta to Chintpurni: Reframing and Transformation of a Fierce Goddess in North Indian Shakta Tradition

Abstract

Chhinnasmasta, one of the ten Mahavidyas, is popularly known as the selfdecapitated Tantric goddess. She symbolises the recurrent interplay between life and death and the transcendence of the ego. This paper examines the shifting paradigm of Chhinnamasta worship within South Asia. The study is based on first-hand ethnographic data from the Chintpurni temple, located in the south-western Himalayas of Himachal Pradesh. The secondary data for this research is complemented by the other two main shrines of Chhinnamasta, i.e., the Rajarappa temple (Jharkhand) and the Kamakhaya temple (Assam). This scholarship investigates the regional transformation of a fierce Tantric goddess into a benevolent, serene, and maternalistic form at the Chintpurni temple. The comparative analysis of nomenclature, iconography, ritual practices, and mythological narratives explores this transformation. It examines the rethinking and redefinition of Chhinnmasta at the Chintpurni temple as a compassionate and maternal goddess. It also highlights a psychological dimension of this transformation, shifting from terrifying imagery to a deity who promises to alleviate all the anxieties of her devotees. Therefore, this study argues that this transformation illustrates a broader cultural phenomenon of domestication and Durgafication within the South Asian goddess worship system, where the esoteric and tantric aspects of the goddess are reinterpreted as a more accessible, acceptable, and compassionate form so as to realign with regional sensibilities.