Narratives of Place

Abstract

This chapter opens with a reflection on the ways in which the goddess Svasthānī and her textual-ritual tradition continue to loom large in the Nepali imaginaire today. It then demonstrates the ways in which the Svasthānī tradition has preserved a myriad of narratives of place that illuminate historical developments and inform contemporary discussions of religious, cultural, linguistic, literary, and political identity in Nepal that have heretofore received little scholarly attention. It offers a final argument for the role of the Svasthānīvratakathā as a unique portal to understand Nepal’s past and present and, more broadly, the making and study of Hinduism on the periphery.