Singing the Goddess into Place examines Chamundi of the Hill, a collection of songs that tells the stories of the gods and goddesses of the region around the city of Mysore in southern Karnataka. The ballad actively transforms the region into a land where gods and goddesses live, embedding these deities within the social worlds of their devotees and remapping southern Karnataka into sacred geography connected through networks of devotion and pilgrimage. In this in-depth study of the songs and their context, Caleb Simmons not only provides the first English-language translation of these songs but brings to light the unstudied folk perspectives on the foundational myth of Mysore and its urban history. Singing the Goddess into Place demonstrates how folk narratives reflect local context while also actively working to upend social inequities based on caste and ritual/devotional practices. By delving into this world, the book helps us understand how a landscape is transformed through people’s relationship with it and how this relationship helps build meaning for the communities that call it home.

Contents

List of Illustrations

Acknowledgments

Preface

Note on Transliteration

1. Introduction: Singing Place and Situating Deities in the Kannada Folksong Chamundi of the Hill
2. “She killed the buffalo demon and dwells on the middle of the hill”: Myth, Locality, and Cosmological Significance
3. “You’re the one who protects this place”: Folk Perspectives on Urban History and Regional Significance
4. “He is from one caste; we are from another”: Religion, Caste, and Social Change
5. “I live on the top of the hill . . . you remain near its base”: “High” and “Low” in the Goddess Traditions of Southern Karnataka
6. Chamundi of the Hill Translation

Appendix: “Wodeyar Origin Narrative” from Great Kings of Mysore

Notes

Bibliography

Index