"This volume explores the Bengali Kartabhaja sect and its place in the broader movement of Tantra, an Indian religious movement notorious for its alleged use of shocking sexual language and rituals. Hugh B. Urban looks closely at the relationship between the rise of the Kartabhajas, who flourished at the turn of the nineteenth century, and the changing economic context of colonial Bengal.".

"Urban shows that the case of the Kartabhajas opens many new insights not merely into the specific case of one minor Bengali cult, but also into much larger cross-cultural and theoretical issues, including the changing role of the lower class, marginalized groups under the changing conditions of colonialism, the changing role of Tantric traditions during the period of British rule, and the topic of secrecy as a cross-cultural category in the study of religion.

Urban's reflections on the ethical and epistemological dilemmas involved in studying traditions that wish to remain secret will set a new standard for discussion of this controversial issue."--BOOK JACKET.