Chinnamasta: The Aweful Buddhist and Hindu Tantric Goddess

📦 Product Details

• Author: Elisabeth Anne Benard
• Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass Publishing House 
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: ‎ 8120817486 / 8120810651
• ISBN-13: ‎ 9788120817487 / 9788120810655

📖 About the Book

Chinnamasta: The Aweful Buddhist and Hindu Tantric Goddess is a scholarly study of Chinnamasta, one of the most striking and complex goddesses within Buddhist and Hindu Tantric traditions.

The book examines the religious, symbolic, and theological dimensions of Chinnamasta, exploring her unusual iconography and the meanings associated with her self-decapitation, flowing streams of blood, attendants, and powerful imagery. Elisabeth Anne Benard places the goddess within the broader contexts of Tantric Hinduism and Buddhism, examining themes such as sacrifice, transformation, life and death, sexuality, spiritual power, and transcendence.

An insightful resource for readers interested in Tantric traditions, comparative religion, Hindu and Buddhist studies, goddess traditions, and religious symbolism.

👩🏫 About the Author

Elisabeth Anne Benard

Elisabeth Anne Benard is a scholar whose work focuses on religion, Hinduism, Buddhism, and women's religious traditions. Her research explores the roles, symbolism, and theological significance of female figures within South Asian religious traditions.

Through her academic work on Chinnamasta, Benard offers a detailed examination of the goddess and her place within Hindu and Buddhist Tantra.