ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the concepts covered in the preceding chapters of this book. The book aims to enrich and expand the cultural and visual phenomenon of Bharat Mata by linking the goddess directly to the network of Shakti Pithas. It represents a timely cultural-historical study in the context of the current political landscape of twenty-first century India. The book examines the Bengali reception of the Shakti Pithas and the process by which the ancient Sati myth rose to sudden prominence in the nineteenth century. It discusses the reception of Tantra in Assam by colonial officials, missionaries and Bengali writers in terms of sexuality. The book also examines another facet of Tantra concerned with mortality and sacrifice, through a study of Bamakhepa's relationship with Tara in Bengal. Tantra broke down social boundaries, and could therefore be embraced as a powerfully inclusive ideology.
