Marriage and Asceticism in Veṅgamāmba’s Veṅkaṭācala Māhātmyamu

This paper explores a retelling of the origins of the goddess temple in Tiruchanur (also known as Alamelumangapuram) a couple of kilometers outside of the bustling pilgrimage town of Tirupati. Though it is an oft overlooked story, this paper will explore 18th-century poet Tarigonda Veṅgamāmba’s retelling of this story found in her Veṅkaṭācala Māhātmyamu. This version of the story spends time not only describing the ascetic practices of the goddess Lakṣmī, but also exploring the domestic tensions that developed as a result of her separation from Viṣṇu. Through analysis of a prolonged discussion about the roles of wives and women, I argue, Vengamamba considers the possibility of a woman’s ability to simultaneously commit to asceticism and marriage. Further, because this conversation occurs between Lakṣmī and Kapila (a renounced sage, and an incarnation of Viṣṇu), I read their conversation as a kind of meta-textual commentary on the narrative.