Ascetic, Alekha and Ambivalence: The Mahima Movement in Eastern India

Subhasis Sahoo, Sital Mohanty and Pranay Kumar Swain

Review of Development and Change, 2023, vol. 28, issue 2, 268-284

Abstract: Historians and sociologists stride on unchartered terrain when it comes to studying social movements, especially those termed ‘historyless’, the marginal communities. This paper deals with India’s most unique socioreligious movement called Mahima or Alekha Dharma, in which the marginalised sections such as Adivasis and Shudras challenged the beliefs of the powerful section of society. It aims to provide an overview of the Mahima cult of Odisha and attempts to see why the movement had started and what its outcomes were. The ethnographic fieldwork was carried out between October 2019 and February 2020 in Joranda, Odisha, in order to understand the world of the Mahima cult from the perspective of Mahima monks and followers. These field insights enabled us to understand how religion and social movements interact in several ways.

Keywords: Social movement; religion; cult; ascetic; Alekha; Mahima Dharma; Odisha (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:revdev:v:28:y:2023:i:2:p:268-284

DOI: 10.1177/09722661231215453

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