This book constructs an anthropological history of a subaltern religious formation, Mahima Dharma of Orissa, a large province in eastern India. Tracking the contingent making of a critical community over a hundred and forty year period, ‘Religion, Law and Power’ explores the interplay of distinct expressions of time and history, innovative reformulations of caste and Hinduism and distinct engagements with state and nation. This serves to unravel the wider entanglements of religion, history, law, modernity and power.
A Critical Analysis of Bhima Bhoi and the Mahima Cult is a rare compendium of insightful essays by eminent Indian scholars on the Mahima Cult, its genesis, and its growth. The volume focuses on Bhima Bhoi, the poet-philosopher and the prime interlocutor of the Renegade Faith, who started a revolt from below to champion human rights. To critically appreciate the Saint-poet Bhima Bhoi and the Mahima Cult (Dharma of Glory), the history of the 19th-century Indian sociocultural system, especially that of Odisha and its adjoining states, needs to be reconstructed. Since there is no surviving oral and written text authored by the founder of the cult, Mahima Swami, it is only the unlettered genius Bhima Bhoi, who produced innumerable prayers, hymns, and poetic recitals of profound philosophical import, which made him the legend, the poet-archivist, and historiographer of the Mahima Cult. Bhima was simultaneously the poet of the soul and the soil, who used theology and social experience to provide a supportive sub-structure to a transcendent, ecstatic vision. This volume asserts that Mahima Dharma is an autochthonous reform movement and a regional variation of the Indian Bhakti tradition and mystical poetry.
One of the main topics of ancient Sanskrit literature and medieval literature from different parts of India are Rama and Krishna oriented themes. From Valmiki Ramayana in Sanskrit to Ramayana in different vernacular languages of Tamil, Telgu, Malayalam, Kannada, Assamese, Gujarati, Bengali, Odishi, Marathi and Hindi, all have proceeded from the rudimentary stage of local language literature to become Mahakavyas in their respective areas and reached every nook and corners of the region, galvanizing the minds and hearts of the populace. Although they have been composed in different periods and the poets and composers have a different style of presentation of their own, they acquired the status of original spokespersons of Ramayana in their respective regions. It is a fact that Indian languages and literature are enriched by the form, content, ideas and ideologies of the epics of yesteryears. After Rama became accepted as an incarnation of Vishnu and after the popularization of devotion of Rama in the fourteenth century, all literature was intertwined in the current of a feeling of love and devotion. This trend has been manifested in the work of Balarama Dasa, one of the doyens of litterateurs of medieval Odisha. He equated Rama with Lord Jagannath and named his version of Ramayana as Jagamohana Ramayana itself. He belonged to a group of litterateurs who were famous in the history of Odisha as Panchasakhas and were known for their sublimity, egalitarianism and intellectualism. It is always important to revisit the works of literature of different periods to find out about the state of mind of those writers and composers who generated their literary marvels to establish their views emphatically with a reformative approach. In Odisha, the Panchasakhas were the champions of liberty, fraternity and equality. Therefore, it is even more important to analyse their works again to escalate the idea of free thought and expression and rescue the gamut of their opinions and ideas from intellectual hibernation.
In this work, the author issues a call for scholars of contemporary social history and practice to grapple with late modernity's most pressing social and political issues. He counterposes Western thought with Indian social theory across an array of Indian texts and ideas.
The End-Century Edition Of The Who'S Who Of Indian Writers, Is An Invaluable Work Of Reference For Writers, Publishers, Readers And Students Of Literary History. For Ease Of Use, The Entries Are Arranged Alphabetically By Surname Or Part Of The Name Preferred By The Writers Themselves. A Large Number Of Cross- References Are Provided To Facilitate The Location And Identification Of The Writers.
This book presents an alternative view of caste in Indian society by analysing caste structure and change in local communities in Orissa from historical and anthropological perspectives. Focusing on the agricultural society in the Khurda district of Orissa between the eighteenth century and 2019, the book links discussions on the current transformation of society and politics in India with analyses of long-term historical transformations. The author suggests that, beyond status and power, there is another value which is important in Indian society, namely ontological equality, which functions as the politico-ethical ground for asserting respect and concern for the life of others. The book argues that the value of ontological equality has played an important role in creating and affirming the diverse society which characterises India. It further contends that the movement towards vernacular democracy, which has become conspicuous since the second half of the 1990s, is a historically groundbreaking event which opens a path beyond the postcolonial predicament, supported by the affirmation of diversity by subalterns based on the value of ontological equality. This important contribution to the study of Indian society will be of interest to academics working on the social, political and economic history, sociology, anthropology and political science of South Asia, as well as to those interested in social and political theory.
This volume explores different aspects of religion in the context of identity formation and articulation of power. It deals with critical issues like literature, religious practitioners, internal differentiation in the various religious traditions (with emphasis on rebel traditions), caste, class customs, interpretations.
