The mother and the other

The Hiṅglāj/Nānī shrine is located in a cave in the Hingol National Park on the western side of the Hingol River in the district of Baluchistan, Pakistan. The cave is about 250 kilometres west of Karachi and 20 kilometres inland from the Arabian Sea. I will argue in this paper that the remote location of the cave plays a crucial role in the historical depiction of the goddess Hiṅglāj Devī/Bībī in literature and related ritual events. In earlier times, the extreme hardship of the journey was a significant characteristic of the pilgrimage, contributing to its spiritual value. Today the shrine's significance is measured in different terms, taking into consideration its increased accessibility and the presence of the modern ‘tourist’ there. Located along ancient trading routes between the Middle East and South Asia (Kamphorst 2008: 253), the cave and the goddess residing in it have a historical relationship with merchant castes, nomadic pastoral groups and the local aristocracy. ² The goddess Hiṅglāj/Nānī has frequently been associated with other goddesses in Asia, a relationship that is often emphasized in the literature to legitimize her importance. The pilgrimage to the goddess's abode, mainly done on foot until the beginning of the 1980s, was seen as a purifying process for devotees before entering her sacred valley. This sacrificial journey inspired many stories about the shrine and led authors and poets to praise the yātrā (pilgrimage) for its religious benefits. ³ Today, especially after the construction of the Makran Coastal Highway in 2003, the shrine's importance among Hindu communities in Pakistan has increased, and this has various implications for the rituals performed at the shrine. ⁴