The divine jurisdiction of Goludev, Lord of Justice (nyāy kā devtā) extends through the central Himalayan region of Kumaon. The deity's distinctive shrines are festooned with proliferating paper sheets bearing written petitions (sometimes on formal rupee-stamped paper) and also with massive, gleaming clusters of metal bells offered in thanks by those whose appeals were fulfilled. Tales of Justice and Rituals of Divine Embodiment portrays the complex of narratives and practices revolving primarily around Goludev as the Lord of Justice in Kumaon (and to a lesser extent a few other deities who are related to him or are, like him, also considered gods of justice). In conversation with this ethnographic context, Aditya Malik offers extended, personal, often lyrically written meditations on the meaning of justice in relation to the dense and often harsh constructions in which everyday lives are embedded.
Linking all that Goludev represents to larger questions about...
