Sandra Sattler - Research & Publications

“Cāmuṇḍā’s Glory: Representations of the Fierce Goddess in Purāṇic Literature and Temple Art.” (PhD Thesis abstract)

SOAS 2024 (unpublished)

“Bhakti, Beauty and Beyond: Women’s Roles in Rajput Paintings”

British Museum Magazine, Spring/Summer 2024, Issue 108.

This article discusses the diverse representation of women in Rajput paintings from the British Museum collection.

“Is Controlled Śakti to the Bharatanāṭyam Practitioner as Uncontrolled Śakti is to the Devadāsī? The Woman’s Question and the Anti-Nautch Campaign”

In The Routledge Companion to Indian Ethics: Women, Justice, Bioethics and Ecology, Taylor & Francis, January 2024.

This chapter looks at the contrasting depictions of śakti (female power) in the context of the Bharatanāṭyam dance tradition and the historical figure of the Devadāsī, exploring the implications of these representations in the broader socio-religious discourse.

“Fierce Devotion: The Significance of the Goddess in Kālañjara’s Sacred Landscape” (in preparation)

This forthcoming work, part of my research as a J. Gonda Postdoctoral Fellow, focuses on the religious and cultural significance of fierce goddess worship in the ancient fort of Kālañjara.

“Tantric Aesthetics of Asceticism: Cāmuṇḍā in Sectarian Temples of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan” (in preparation)

This article explores the intersection of ascetic aesthetics in the iconography of Cāmuṇḍā and her role within the religious pantheon of tantric Śaiva groups, illustrated through her depictions in sectarian temples across Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

“North Indian Śākta Temples and the Cult of the Fierce Goddess in Medieval India” (in preparation)

This study investigates medieval Cāmuṇḍā temples in North India, with a focus on the intricate dynamics between regional religious practices and the intersection of tantric and Purāṇic traditions.