Due to the efforts of his modern day namesake Puttapurthi Sai Baba this cult is also popular in the West. His portraits and popular saying, Sab Ka Malik Aik (everyone’s lord is one), are ubiquitous in India gracing everything from plush offices to auto-rickshaws. Despite attempts to completely Brahmanize the Ayappan cult, the Muslim influences continue to flourish.Īrguably, the most popular cult in India is that of the Sai Baba of Shirdi. Citing various historical narratives Sikand writes that Ayappa and Wavar seem to represent urban ‘upper’ caste Hindus and Muslims who joined forces to enslave the forest-dwelling tribals and capture their land. There still exists a mosque called Wavar Masjid at the foot of the hill where pilgrims seek the blessings from a “maulvi” before embarking on the uphill trek. He reportedly had a Muslim disciple called Wavar who led an army of warriors and defeated Ayappa’s enemies. Another theory claims him to be a local prince. According to one popular legend he was the offspring of Vishnu and Shiva. The Shrine of Ayappa in the Sabari Mala mountains of Kerala attracts thirty million devotees each year. The syncretic spaces he visits are centered on myths and legends about the supposed super-natural powers of their patron saints. He claims that, “For millions of others in India, religion is a free-flowing river that meanders wherever it pleases, in search of peace and solace, or, more often, in a desperate quest for divine intervention to solve worldly woes.’ It is with this mindset that he embarked on his exploration. No sooner does a child come into the world than it is branded, for no fault of his or hers, with a label that generally stays until the grave, that boxes it into a specific caste or religion.” ‘Resisting the tyranny of labels is a constant battle. Sikand begins with his own experiences as a person with antinomian beliefs.
With the notable exception of Our Lady of Health of Vailankanni in Kerala the rest are primarily Hindu, Muslim, shared or of late increasingly contested pilgrim centers. Dr.Yoginder Sikand in Sacred Spaces documents twenty five religious places where a syncretic form of worship is practiced. Complicating the situation are the politicians and communalists who use religion as a tool to further their political ends. These shared traditions are now being challenged as believers move towards more orthodox and puritan interpretations. And there are the Muslim dargahs (shrines) of Sufi saints where Hindus and Muslims pray together. Hence, today we have Christian priests in the states of Kerala and Goa who practice a Hinduised form of Christianity, complete with pujas, hawans and recitation of Sanskrit shlokas. Even Christianity and Islam with their strict monotheism were not immune to this trend. Religions liberally borrowed each others rituals, customs and to some extent beliefs. India has a long and rich tradition of syncretism or the fusion of different forms of beliefs and practices. 2005 print edition of MG send me the print edition Book ReviewĮxploring Traditions of Shared Faith in India (2003)
0 kommentar(er)
