Hindus in India have had a helping hand – several in fact – when it comes to fighting deadly contagions like COVID-19: multi-armed goddesses co-opted to help contain and kill pestilence. Collectively ...

(RNS) — Hindus in India have had a helping hand — several in fact — when it comes to fighting deadly contagions like COVID-19: multi-armed goddesses co-opted to help contain and kill pestilence.

Between the second and sixth centuries, a series of pandemics destabilized the Roman empire. The first of these was the Antonine Plague, between 165-180 AD, and the second was the Plague of Justinian, ...

Sitting atop her lion, the Hindu goddess Durga wields a celestial weapon in each of her 10 hands. But her target isn’t the usual demon of deceit, Mahishasura. She’s taking aim at a different perceived ...