ANNE FELDHAUS is Professor of Religious Studies at Arizona State University, USA. She is the author/editor of several books including A Dictionary of Old Marathi (OUP, 2000), Water and Womanhood: Religious Meanings of Rivers in Maharashtra (OUP, 1997), and Images of Women in Maharashtrian Literature and Religion (SUNY, 1996).

Introduction Rivers and Regional Consciousness The Pilgrimage to Singnapur The Old Bhakta Wives and Sisters Numbered Sets of Pilgrimage Places Southern Kasi: Replication of North Indian Religious Geography in Maharashtra Pilgrimage and Remembrance: Biography and Geography in Mahanubhav Traditions Conclusion

This book examines the words and actions of people who live in regions in the state of Maharashtra in Western India to illustrate the idea that regions are not only created by humans, but given meaning through religious practices. By exploring the people living in the area of Maharashtra, Feldhaus draws some very interesting conclusions about how people differentiate one region from others, and how we use stories, rituals, and ceremonies to recreate their importance. Feldhaus discovers that religious meanings attached to regions do not necessarily have a political teleology. According to Feldhaus, 'There is also a chance, even now, that religious imagery can enrich the lives of individuals and small communities without engendering bloodshed and hatred'.