Saivism In The Diaspora: Contemporary Forms Of Skanda Worship

Book Summary

This volume explores contemporary manifestations of the worship of Siva that have transmigrated to the West. It examines Hindu vernacular traditions or 'village Hinduism, ' especially in the context of the Hindu diaspora, where the general assumption is that such forms of Hinduism cannot survive as they lack infrastructure and the rural environment. Based on extensive fieldwork in Britain and India, the author shows that significant developments are taking place where Hindu communities have achieved sufficient concentration for various movements to appear that reproduce 'folk traditions' connected to a particular locale in the subcontinent. These movements often display a focus on the pragmatic or apotropaic motivation for worship of deities associated with healing. The focus is on the Baba Balaknath communities originating in the Punjab and Himachal Pradesh; the worship of Murugan amongst Tamil populations and the Community of the Many Names of God in Wales which originated in the worship of Subramaniyam in Sri Lanka. The book illuminates the changing beliefs and practices in the Hindu diaspora, particularly the role of the apotropaic or pragmatic dimension, it helps illustrate important theoretical concepts such as Sanskritization and the relationship between the 'Little Tradition' and the 'Great Tradition' or All-India and local traditions.

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