Religion and Ritual in Rural India

About Religion and Ritual in Rural India

This study presents a radical break-through in both method and analysis in Social Anthropology/Sociology. In terms of method it treats the field as a source of geographical models of the village(s) studied. Concerning analysis it amalgamates strands from various disciplines into an integral interpretative instrument. Finally data is gathered as much by being-in-field as by building from the foundations of culture traits. Thus the methods of anthrography, historiography, psychography are used to study myths and legends, leading systems, ritual sets—all of which function under the aegis of the religious outlook. As such this study while being complete in itself provides numerous directions for analysis. This study took over five years to complete of which about two were field-based in remote regions, where religion and ritual form the deepest concern of man pitted against a hostile ecology.