How to Cite

Niebuhr, Frances Anke: Dhārī Devī, Goddess of the Floods: Development, Disaster and the Transitions of a Place of Worship, Heidelberg: Heidelberg Asian Studies Publishing, 2023. https://doi.org/10.11588/hasp.1152

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Identifiers

https://doi.org/10.11588/hasp.1152
ISBN 978-3-948791-49-0 (Softcover)
ISBN 978-3-948791-48-3 (PDF)

Published

08/08/2023

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Authors

Frances Anke Niebuhr

Dhārī Devī, Goddess of the Floods

Development, Disaster and the Transitions of a Place of Worship

The trajectory of the Dhārī Devī Temple epitomises the idea of catastrophes as watersheds. In particular, flood disasters have accompanied transformation processes of the site located on Alaknanda River in the Indian Himalayas. As early as 1894, a flash flood had a significant impact on the site and the identity of the deity. Local flood legends gained new topicality with the planning of a hydroelectric power plant in the vicinity. They became part of debates surrounding the construction scheme that required the relocation of the sacred site. This case study explores flood discourses and illuminates their influence on a development project. It further demonstrates how previous controversies framed the public interpretation of two flood disasters in 2012 and specifically of the "Himalayan Tsunami" in 2013.

As a modern Indologist, Frances Anke Niebuhr was associated with the Cluster “Asia and Europe in a Global Context” at Heidelberg University from the end of 2013. There she was involved in the project “Waterscapes in Transcultural Perspectives,” as well as the sub-project “Changing Sacred Waterscapes.” She completed her PhD in February 2022 under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Jörg Gengnagel at the University of Wurzburg. Her research focuses on socio-ecological issues in the South Asian context. These include the understanding and coping with climate change and disasters; water conflicts and conflicts in the context of development projects. Also: feminist political ecology and ecological issues in relation to religion and Hindu nationalism.

Chapters

Table of Contents
Pages
PDF
Title
Contents
v-viii
List of Figures
ix-x
Preface
xi-xii
Acknowledgments
xiii-xvi
List of Abbreviations and Acronyms
xvii-xviii
Introduction
A Major Flood Disaster
1-6
1 An Outline of the diverse Aspects of the Study
7-36
2 The Flood History
Narratives about Floods and the Genesis of a Goddess
37-118
3 From Rock to Bhūmi to Dhārā
The Protest against the Goddess's Removal
119-158
4 The Flood of 2012: Transitions of a Waterscape
Floods as Agents of Change
159-186
5 The Flood of 2013
187-245
6 The Narrative of the Goddess
Disaster Research and concluding Thoughts
247-254
References
255-293
Backcover

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