Caste, Culture, Continuity, and Change: a study of Dalit Priests of Telangana

Abstract

: India is currently going through a period of marked transition. It is experiencing tremendous changes in the socio-cultural and institutional structures. These changes have been well confirmed and rapid during the last few decades. Particularly in recent times, the shift in the ideologies at the national level, on the one hand, and the expansion of the global market, on the other hand, created a crisis in all the developing countries in the world. In India, the shift is much more rapid and profound. This „new normal‟ is not only influencing the local economies but also the innate cultures and traditions. The impact is at two levels, the new narrative of nationalism is overshadowing the regional identities, and the windows opened by the market economy created access to the western lifestyle, including food, fashions, and culture as a whole. It is not to say that such social change in India is a sudden and recent phenomenon; it is a continuous process. However, the current phase is the most power full and strategic because it substantially alters the social structure and culture. Pambala, a Dalit priestly community representing the local tradition of Hinduism in Telangana State of South India, is one of such communities pushed into a crisis. This paper examines the status of a small community representing the local tradition in the modern nationalist and global discourse. The reportprimarily attempts to locate the Pambala community in Telangana society, culture, and their historical importance in the village ritual life. The second part examines the continuity and change in the caste, culture, and tradition; the paper is based on a focused study of a traditional community in Modern Hinduism.