During one of the ten days of the Dussehra festival--a Hindu celebration that recognizes the power of goodwill over evil--the goddess Durga is recognized in her valiant triumph over the demon spirit Mahisha (or Mahishasur). This invincible demon assumed the body of a buffalo, and could not be killed even by other Hindu deities. Thus, they created Durga to vanquish their enemy, and supplied her with many weapons. She proved victorious—and this victory evolved into one of the most significant reminders of female power in all of Hindu culture.
Today, many Indians make the pilgrimage to Bangkok, Thailand in order to celebrate their goddess. Participants in Dussehra provide the spirit of Durga with offerings, and their fireside prayers and chants are imbued with a deep sense of reverence and gratitude. Their conviction is not solely spiritual, however: on the last night of the festival—when Durga and Karttikeya (the God of War) are said to take human form. Many of the more fervent believers mutilate themselves to the point of bloodshed in order to appease their courageous goddess.
It is ironic to consider how this cultural myth has been recognized and celebrated for centuries—and yet the United States’ “modern” society-at-large fails to revere women on this scale. In fact, in addition to longstanding legislation that denies women their rights, many of our visual narratives target women in extremely detrimental ways. Whether on television, in magazines, or in advertising, our cultural “myths” prove quite hostile to the idea of a woman owning her own strength. A festival like the one in Bangkok could not feasibly exist here; this society has grown too accustomed to casting women in a subservient role.
Yet is there a possibility for a cultural sea change so that women may possess the same power in reality as they do in mythology? Or, will Western women—like Durga—have to ascend from their second-class status on their own, and be revered as both providers and protectors of human life?
