Looking for the Goddess: An Enquiry into Origin and Evolution in Early Historic Bihar

This paper, in its primary aim, attempts to question the notions regarding the appearance and proliferation of the goddess cult and worship ritual in India, especially with reference to early historic Bihar (fifth century BCE to fifth century CE), through visual evidence, with reference to both Brahmanism and heterodox sects. For the sake of convenience, the geographical term Bihar is used to denote the areas of ancient Magadha, Vajji and Anga.