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Priestess at a Shakti Temple

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Claudia Aufschnaiter

Free Account, Vienna

Priestess at a Shakti Temple

One of the most fascinating people I met during my 2009/10 time in India was this temple priestess at a village goddess temple (most likely Shakti although it is a trend to call most female village deities Shakti). It got its name from a massive Banyan tree growing around it; the priestess and her helpers were carefully nurturing the vines coming down from the tree to root in the ground with the help of tube-like plastic sheet contraptions, which gave the tree the appearance of an enormous octopus anchored in the ground with its innumerable tentacles – a real jaw-dropper! Seeing a cobra there is an auspicious sign because this means the goddess has shown herself to you. Once a year the priestess climbs up the tree to the snakes’ lair. She’s in trance when she does this so the snakes don’t harm her...so I was told...