Navigating Power and Identity Gender Fluidity of a Deity in North India

This article explores the fluid gender identity of a local deity in the Western Himalayas, contextualized within both divine and human societal structures from the 19th century to the present. Based on fieldwork in Himachal Pradesh, India, the study examines the transformation of the deity’s gender identity from a goddess to a male deity in the 19th century—a shift that locals strategically employed to support political and territorial claims. In contrast, the deity is now primarily emphasized as the goddess Durga, reflecting cultural and social changes within the community, as well as evolving perceptions of divine hierarchies between gods and goddesses. The article argues that this renewed focus on the deity’s feminine identity serves as a symbolic resource for the local community. Thus, while in the 19th century, divine hierarchy was seen as existing between gods and goddesses, in the 21st century, it is perceived as between the principal divinities of the pan-Hindu pantheon and the local gods of human origin. The article demonstrates how widely held beliefs in South Asia regarding the fluid identities of gods and goddesses are adapted and rationalized by human communities to interpret and legitimize divine roles across historical contexts, yielding both political and symbolic benefits.