Inter-caste value consensus and social harmony an anthropological field study on rustic rituals of Māri Amman worship in Kaluthavalai village

Abstract

Social boundaries of groups in the Hindu caste system are rigidly defined in a manner in which members of depressed caste groups have restricted ways of interaction with high caste members in public sphere. Rigidity of such restriction on relationship between Hindu caste groups is mostly associated with Agamic religious practices of Hinduism. The Agamic religious practices still play vital role in discriminating depressed caste groups and cause for caste-based conflicts between the high caste members and the depressed caste members.But this study finds the non-agamic religious practices, which is mostly followed by the rural people of Hindu communities in Eastern Sri Lanka, as having the potential for interaction of members of caste groups, which are in diametrically opposed positions in the caste status ladder. This study is mainly based on the analysis of non-agamic rituals of Mari Amman worship of Tomtom beater in Kaluthavalai of Batticaloa. The main objective of this study is to analyze how the non-agamic Hindu worship works as a mean for making relaxation on the rigidity of restrictions of interaction between high and lower caste members. The study is a descriptive research and is based on qualitative and ethnographical research methods. The study further analyzes that how this non-agamic religious rituals, unlike agamic rituals, bring high caste members to the depressed caste members’ places so as to make harmonious public conduct and cooperative participation in religious worship.