"Excellent...an important addition to the growing collection of first-rate studies on goddess traditions in India..." Paul Courtright, Emory 'Most of the chapters have been written in the narrative vein, recording the author's personal experiences ... The descriptive details are here and there sprinkled by scholarly insights and perceptions.' Subhashini Aryan, The Hindustan Times, 1993 'This monograph provides valuable evidence on the Hindu goddess's cult in north-western India that complements the more extensive material available from the east and south of the country ... her book adds to the growing ethnographic literature on popular Hinduism, Erndl's monograph is concise and well written, and strikes a nice balance between the demands of technical scholarship and accessibility to non-specialists.' C.J. Fuller. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. Vol LVII 'admirable at revealing what Hinduism means from day to day to its believers ... Dr Erndl tells us in admirable detail what the Mother means to her worshippers.' Maurice Zinkin, Asian Affairs, October 1994 'admirable at revealing what Hinduism means from day to day to its believers ... Dr Erndl tells us in admirable detail what the Mother means to her worshippers.' Maurice Zinkin, Asian Affairs, October 1994