The Role of Roadside Shrines in the Everyday Lives of Female Devotees in Mumbai

Abstract

This article aims to better understand the relationship between women, roadside shrines, and the urban streetscape in Mumbai. Our embodied experiences in space are gendered, and whether we are talking about real or imagined opportunities and limitations, men and women perceive, experience and utilize space differently. This article is focused on two central inquiries. Firstly, I look at how roadside shrines in the public space may fulfill different needs for different persons, which to some degree may depend on their gender, age, or socioeconomic class. Secondly, I discuss how roadside shrines may challenge public gendered spaces, while still maintaining their own internal gender rules and boundaries. My central argument is that roadside shrines play a multifaceted and primarily affirmative role in the lives of female visitors, by increasing their sense of spatial agency and feelings of security.