William S Sax
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195335866
- eISBN:
- 9780199868919
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195335866.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This book deals with ritual healing in the Central Himalayas of north India. It focuses on the cult of Bhairav, a local deity who is associated with the lowest castes, the so-called Dalits, who are ...
More
This book deals with ritual healing in the Central Himalayas of north India. It focuses on the cult of Bhairav, a local deity who is associated with the lowest castes, the so-called Dalits, who are frequently victims of social injustice. When powerless people are exploited or abused and have nowhere else to go, they often turn to Bhairav for justice, and he afflicts their oppressors with disease and misfortune. In order to end their suffering, they must make amends with their former victims and worship Bhairav with bloody sacrifices. Many acts of perceived injustice occur within the family, so that much of the book focuses on the tension between the high moral value placed on family unity on the one hand, and the inevitable conflicts within it on the other. Such conflicts can lead to ghost possession, cursing, and other forms of black magic, all of which are vividly described. The book includes a personal account of the author's own experiences in the field as well as descriptions of blood sacrifice, possession, exorcism, and cursing. The book begins with a straightforward description of the author' s fieldwork and goes on to describe the god Bhairav and his relationship to the weak and powerless. Subsequent chapters deal with the lives of local oracles and healers; the main rituals of the cult and the dramatic Himalayan landscape in which they are embedded; the moral, ritual, and therapeutic centrality of the family; the importance of ghosts and exorcism; and practices of cursing and counter-cursing. The final chapter examines the problematic relationship between ritual healing and modernity.Less
This book deals with ritual healing in the Central Himalayas of north India. It focuses on the cult of Bhairav, a local deity who is associated with the lowest castes, the so-called Dalits, who are frequently victims of social injustice. When powerless people are exploited or abused and have nowhere else to go, they often turn to Bhairav for justice, and he afflicts their oppressors with disease and misfortune. In order to end their suffering, they must make amends with their former victims and worship Bhairav with bloody sacrifices. Many acts of perceived injustice occur within the family, so that much of the book focuses on the tension between the high moral value placed on family unity on the one hand, and the inevitable conflicts within it on the other. Such conflicts can lead to ghost possession, cursing, and other forms of black magic, all of which are vividly described. The book includes a personal account of the author's own experiences in the field as well as descriptions of blood sacrifice, possession, exorcism, and cursing. The book begins with a straightforward description of the author' s fieldwork and goes on to describe the god Bhairav and his relationship to the weak and powerless. Subsequent chapters deal with the lives of local oracles and healers; the main rituals of the cult and the dramatic Himalayan landscape in which they are embedded; the moral, ritual, and therapeutic centrality of the family; the importance of ghosts and exorcism; and practices of cursing and counter-cursing. The final chapter examines the problematic relationship between ritual healing and modernity.
William S. Sax
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195335866
- eISBN:
- 9780199868919
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195335866.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This chapter begins with a brief description of the oppression endured by the lowest castes, the Harijans, in Garhwal. It then introduces Bhairav, the deity to whom the Harijans turn when they are ...
More
This chapter begins with a brief description of the oppression endured by the lowest castes, the Harijans, in Garhwal. It then introduces Bhairav, the deity to whom the Harijans turn when they are abused or exploited, or when they are the victims of injustice. The first appearance of Bhairav, the appearance of Bhairav as savior, the iconographic appearance of Bhairav, and Bhairav's appearance in the flesh are discussed.Less
This chapter begins with a brief description of the oppression endured by the lowest castes, the Harijans, in Garhwal. It then introduces Bhairav, the deity to whom the Harijans turn when they are abused or exploited, or when they are the victims of injustice. The first appearance of Bhairav, the appearance of Bhairav as savior, the iconographic appearance of Bhairav, and Bhairav's appearance in the flesh are discussed.
William S. Sax
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195335866
- eISBN:
- 9780199868919
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195335866.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This chapter focuses on healers, specifically oracular consultations and the major healing rituals. Local notions of place and landscape are of fundamental importance in oracular consultations as ...
More
This chapter focuses on healers, specifically oracular consultations and the major healing rituals. Local notions of place and landscape are of fundamental importance in oracular consultations as well as in healing rituals. These are used as a kind of lens through which to observe and understand the healing cult in general. The experience and transmission of the cult of Bhairav is inseparable from local understandings of place and landscape, especially the way that landscape embodies history, memory, and notions of the person. That is why, in order to grasp the cult “from the inside,”, the chapter considers the ideas and practices associated with place and landscape.Less
This chapter focuses on healers, specifically oracular consultations and the major healing rituals. Local notions of place and landscape are of fundamental importance in oracular consultations as well as in healing rituals. These are used as a kind of lens through which to observe and understand the healing cult in general. The experience and transmission of the cult of Bhairav is inseparable from local understandings of place and landscape, especially the way that landscape embodies history, memory, and notions of the person. That is why, in order to grasp the cult “from the inside,”, the chapter considers the ideas and practices associated with place and landscape.
William S. Sax
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195335866
- eISBN:
- 9780199868919
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195335866.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This chapter examines oracles and gurus, the two main types of ritual specialists in the healing cult of Bhairav. It shows that they are distinguished above all in terms of agency and patiency. The ...
More
This chapter examines oracles and gurus, the two main types of ritual specialists in the healing cult of Bhairav. It shows that they are distinguished above all in terms of agency and patiency. The oracles are the gods' patients: they subordinate their personal agency to that of the gods whose vessels they are, and their reputation and success depends on the degree to which they are thought to embody completely the god. The gurus, on the other hand, are masters of the spirits, and their reputation and success depends on the degree to which they are believed to control supernatural beings, turning them into their “disciples,” that is, their patients. The chapter introduces several oracles and gurus, mostly in their own words, and attempt to shows how such relations of agency and patiency work themselves out in practice.Less
This chapter examines oracles and gurus, the two main types of ritual specialists in the healing cult of Bhairav. It shows that they are distinguished above all in terms of agency and patiency. The oracles are the gods' patients: they subordinate their personal agency to that of the gods whose vessels they are, and their reputation and success depends on the degree to which they are thought to embody completely the god. The gurus, on the other hand, are masters of the spirits, and their reputation and success depends on the degree to which they are believed to control supernatural beings, turning them into their “disciples,” that is, their patients. The chapter introduces several oracles and gurus, mostly in their own words, and attempt to shows how such relations of agency and patiency work themselves out in practice.
William S. Sax
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195335866
- eISBN:
- 9780199868919
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195335866.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This chapter focuses on rituals of aggression, that is, rituals intended to harm a rival or an enemy. Such rituals include cursing, sorcery, feeding someone “rubbish,” or summoning gods to attack ...
More
This chapter focuses on rituals of aggression, that is, rituals intended to harm a rival or an enemy. Such rituals include cursing, sorcery, feeding someone “rubbish,” or summoning gods to attack him. To perform such rituals is to behave immorally, especially when the object of the curse is a family member. It is argued that there is a kind of ambivalence built into such rituals, and that this ambivalence is indeed a necessary part of them.Less
This chapter focuses on rituals of aggression, that is, rituals intended to harm a rival or an enemy. Such rituals include cursing, sorcery, feeding someone “rubbish,” or summoning gods to attack him. To perform such rituals is to behave immorally, especially when the object of the curse is a family member. It is argued that there is a kind of ambivalence built into such rituals, and that this ambivalence is indeed a necessary part of them.
