A+| A| A-
Caste, Religious Institutions and Domination
The Tuljabhavani and Matangi temples in Osmanabad District in Maharashtra display the relation between religion, caste and power structure in society. The history of these two temples and a study of the priestly hierarchy and practice of rituals, one dominated by the Marathas and the other by the Mahars, shows how caste continues to maintain its stranglehold, albeit in different forms.
We thank Suresh M of TISS Mumbai for his inputs in the article.
Caste categories were constructed through a complex interactive process. It involved the use and misuse of power manipulations by different castes and sub-castes to advance different social and political claims. These claims influenced categories of representations in politics and religion in regional particularities.
Central to the politics of the Marathwada region of Maharashtra are the Maratha–Kunbis, who were crucial to the emergence of political non-Brahminism and the Dalit movement dominated by the Mahar community (Rao 2009).
Dear Reader,
Or
To gain instant access to this article (download).
(Readers in India)
(Readers outside India)
