About the Book: Dhrakhni
The worship of Devi Drakhani involves a bloody sacrifice. On the night of
Kaushiki amavasya every year, the temple drenches itself in the blood of 365
goats, and one woman. No ordinary woman, but one who has been marked to be the
Rajmahishi, the wife of Raja Chakrabarti Indrashish. The festivities go on for
seven days, and on the seventh day, on the auspicious occasion of ashtamangala,
King Indrashish chooses a virginal woman as his consort. The chosen woman enjoys
a charmed life as the queen of Rajchakrabarti. Till the next puja, when she is
made ready for the goddess. She is then