Dhumavati Maa Representation

“Dhumavati—her name means “the smoky one”—is also called “the widow.” In traditional India, especially in the higher castes, there was no “more inauspicious form of the feminine. In a culture where status for women is given by the husband, widowhood is the worst thing that can happen to a woman.” From “Awakening Shakti” by Sally Kempton