Akshay Thakur | Indian Institute of Technology Mandi (original) (raw)

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Conference Presentations by Akshay Thakur

Sociological Society, Himachal Pradesh (SSHP), 2019

The existent Deity Institution of Himachal Pradesh serves as an allegorical testimony to its uniq... more The existent Deity Institution of Himachal Pradesh serves as an allegorical testimony to its unique religio-cultural and socio-cultural identity. The Deity or Devta system traces its origin back to the Rigvedic period (1500 BC-1000 BC), and is often characterized by the presence of a palanquin, commonly called ratha which houses an idol of the local Devta or Devi, considered as the divine manifestation of God. Each region/village in Himachal has its own resident deity which is regarded as the presiding guardian of that respective land and, is deeply worshipped as the governing power center, locally. These Gods/Goddesses tend to communicate with the regional populace via a devised oracle system of shamanic nature, wherein the Devic (godly) spirit invocation/possession happens through a medium, called Gur (shaman) and the Devta/Devi then converses with His/Her subjects to either resolve their grievances or to bestow upon them His/Her blessings. Oftentimes, through their respective Gurs, these Devis/Devtas relay views about any prevailing social, ecological, cultural or regional unrest in the society and guide the general masses to do course-corrections, correspondingly. This ancient belief system drives not just the social and cultural ecosystems of this Himalayan state but invariably, it also influences the regional socioeconomic structures in a profound manner. Objectives: This paper toils towards establishing some of the clandestine linkages between existing Devta Institution of Himachal Pradesh and its underlying impact on the functioning of socio-cultural fabric of this region. Also, it aims to unravel some of the operational and functional aspects associated with this archaic temple/shamanic institution and vis a vis attempts to outline its inherent structural rigidities and biases. Correspondingly, the research paper also tries to highlight on aspects explicating its (Deity Institution) indispensable need and relevance in the contemporary times. Preponderantly, the religio-centric places around Mandi district have been taken as the focus areas for this research study.

Sociological Society, Himachal Pradesh (SSHP), 2019

The existent Deity Institution of Himachal Pradesh serves as an allegorical testimony to its uniq... more The existent Deity Institution of Himachal Pradesh serves as an allegorical testimony to its unique religio-cultural and socio-cultural identity. The Deity or Devta system traces its origin back to the Rigvedic period (1500 BC-1000 BC), and is often characterized by the presence of a palanquin, commonly called ratha which houses an idol of the local Devta or Devi, considered as the divine manifestation of God. Each region/village in Himachal has its own resident deity which is regarded as the presiding guardian of that respective land and, is deeply worshipped as the governing power center, locally. These Gods/Goddesses tend to communicate with the regional populace via a devised oracle system of shamanic nature, wherein the Devic (godly) spirit invocation/possession happens through a medium, called Gur (shaman) and the Devta/Devi then converses with His/Her subjects to either resolve their grievances or to bestow upon them His/Her blessings. Oftentimes, through their respective Gurs, these Devis/Devtas relay views about any prevailing social, ecological, cultural or regional unrest in the society and guide the general masses to do course-corrections, correspondingly. This ancient belief system drives not just the social and cultural ecosystems of this Himalayan state but invariably, it also influences the regional socioeconomic structures in a profound manner. Objectives: This paper toils towards establishing some of the clandestine linkages between existing Devta Institution of Himachal Pradesh and its underlying impact on the functioning of socio-cultural fabric of this region. Also, it aims to unravel some of the operational and functional aspects associated with this archaic temple/shamanic institution and vis a vis attempts to outline its inherent structural rigidities and biases. Correspondingly, the research paper also tries to highlight on aspects explicating its (Deity Institution) indispensable need and relevance in the contemporary times. Preponderantly, the religio-centric places around Mandi district have been taken as the focus areas for this research study.