Rural Processes in India : Parochialization , Universalization , Sanskritization , Little and Great Tradition
The scientific study of the Indian rural system can be done only through certain changes inherent in it. These changes can be social, political, cultural and natural. As the interest of sociologists and other scholars towards rural studies is increasing, in the same way, importance has been given to the study of many such processes which exist within the rural system itself. In any society, when any change takes place within the social system itself, then we call such change as procedural change.
It is possible that the external structure of society appears to be the same in general, but this process-oriented change arises in the cultural side of life.
They cause massive changes in the social system. Therefore, in order to understand rural social changes, it is necessary to discuss those processes which are both the cause and the result of rural social change in the present conditions.
Basically that is why contemporary sociologists are in favor of explaining rural social changes with the help of many such concepts, which as a process are responsible for the emergence of new changes. With the help of these concepts, the Indian rural system and the changes taking place in it, their causes, consequences etc. can be understood in detail. Following are the major processes of social change
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Sanskritization
2 . Westernization
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Industrialization
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Urbanization
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Modernization
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Universalization
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Localization
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Little Tradition
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Great Tradition
Rural Processes in India In the discussion presented in 87, we will try to understand the Indian rural system by discussing important processes like localization, universalisation, sanskritisation and small and large tradition, without going outside the scope of our subject-context.
The concepts of localization and universalization have been used by Mackim Marriott to explain the interaction between the major and minor traditions based on his study of Kishangarhi, a village in Uttar Pradesh. Pro . M . N. Srinivas used the concept of Sanskritization for the first time while analyzing the social and religious life of the Cougas in South India. Later Srinivas tried to understand the process of cultural change through the concept of Sanskritisation.
Robert Redfield used the concept of ‘tradition’ to explain the process of cultural changes in India. You believe that every culture is formed by traditions, which can be understood by dividing it into two parts. In both these traditions, we call the first-class tradition as the ‘Great Tradition’ and the second-class tradition as the ‘Little Tradition’. Here we will study these five concepts in detail.
Parochialization
For a systematic study of the Indian rural system, it is necessary to find out the various cultural traditions found in the Indian society. Three major streams of cultural traditions can be seen prominently in Indian society, which are called as cultural sub-structures. Doctor . Tea . Of . N. Unnithan, Indradev and Yogendra Singh have placed these three sub-structures in the following form.
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Elite Sub – Structure
2 . Folk Sub – Structure
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Tribal Sub – Structure
But we must note that none of these cultural sub-structures is represented by a particular section of society. No sub-structure is found in its pure form from this point of view. Folk and elite cultural elements are found very close to each other.
The carriers of these cultural traditions have also lived very close to each other. Here we should keep in mind that the main area of folk traditions has been ‘rural India’ and only urban India of elite traditions has been. Robert Redfield used the concept of tradition to analyze the process of social change in India and said that every civilization is made up of traditions.
On one side comes the traditions of the aristocratic people or the few thinking people, which we call the Great Tradition and on the other side comes the traditions of the folk or illiterate farmers, which we call the Little Tradition. We will discuss these traditions in detail further, for now to understand the concept of localization, let us know that a kind of co-relation is found between these two traditions. That is, these two traditions keep converting into each other. This correlation has been clarified by McKim Marriott. McKim Marriott in Kishangarhi village in Aligarh district of Uttar Pradesh. On the basis of the study of the
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Localization and
2 . Universalization
In . The concepts were used by Mackim Marriott to explain the process of dissemination between the minor tradition and the large tradition. In relation to localization, Macim Marriott has written that there is a process of localizing literary forms etc. The process of localization appears to be active in small communities under Indian ancient civilization, while the concept of universalization has been used to advance and elevate cultural elements and cultural knowledge. Here we will discuss them in detail.
Meaning and Characteristics of Localization
( Meaning & Characteristics of Parochialization )
in plain language
In Pragal language, the word (Parochial) is used to mean narrowness or pastoralism. Thus, literally any process which narrows the spirit of the group or generates the local characteristics of the villages in the group, we call it the process of localization. Although the process of localization was first mentioned by Morris Propler, but later in the way Macim Marriott explained it, instead of giving much importance to parochialism, more importance has been given to local religious beliefs.
McKim Marriott believes that when many cultures have been in existence for a long time, they become very old, then they start changing into larger traditions, then usually such traditions are changed according to local beliefs and local needs. Is .
That is, gradually many elements of the great tradition develop into the minor tradition. As a result, it becomes very difficult to understand the basic nature of any local tradition, its utility and its relation with religious texts. Even the people of the same village themselves are neither able to give much information about such tradition nor do they have the same opinion about that information. The result is that different beliefs related to the larger tradition, when different cultural characteristics of different places and regions take on different forms. On this basis, McKim Marriott says that when the local characteristics of the village are included in the Waht tradition, then we call this process as Parochialization. In other words, it can be said that when local beliefs restrict the spread of a fast or a long tradition and limit its scope, then we know it as the process of localization.
McKim Marriott has defined the concept of localization and wrote that the downward movement of the elements of the larger tradition and their union with the elements of the minor tradition is called the process of localization. It is clear from the above definition of Marriott that if the Yaad 195 tradition wants to stop the development of the minor tradition, then many small and completely imaginary traditions reduce their effect by hindering the development of these many traditions.
Within the larger traditions, many smaller local traditions develop. In fact, it is a downward development or diminishing change of culture, which we call the process of localization.
The features of the process of localization have been explained by McKim Marriott in five major parts.
(1) Localization is a process by which the beliefs and rituals of a particular place begin to be incorporated within the larger traditions of a society.
(2) The process of localization does not give much importance to intelligence and discretion. This means that the changes that take place in the larger tradition according to local beliefs cannot be explained on technical or intellectual grounds.
(3) The process of localization does not represent the characteristics of the whole group through any tradition, but under this process the ideas, experiences and beliefs of a small group are given importance.
(4) The process of localization takes away the traditions from their original form. This means that the way a tradition is mentioned in ancient religious texts, the process of localization changes that original form and gives a new form to that tradition.
(5) The Great Traditions are in a very systematic form, but when they are localized, then there is no order left in the practices and rituals related to them.
Mackim Marriott wrote in his work on the promotion of the above characteristics that “localization is the process of spreading local characteristics, it is a process which limits the field of intelligence, separates the traditions from their origin”. , and looks at particular traditions from a less systematic and less representative point of view.” Thus we see that the process of localization is a concept of the transition from a large tradition to a minor tradition. Bastul: This is a major feature of Indian rural system and agricultural societies. Many examples can be given from the rural life of India of this type of process.
( Some Examples of Parochialization )
McKim Marriott has tried to explain this process of localization with the examples of Govardhan Puja (Cownourisher Worship) and Nauti (Nauratha or Navaratri).
According to McKim Marriott, the way the festival of Govardhan Puja is celebrated in Kishangarhi village of Aligarh district, it exemplifies some types and changes of boundaries, which are due to the downward transfer of cultural themes from waht traditions to minor traditions. occur during.
A term is needed to express the type of metamorphosis of cultural subjects, which appear in the festival of Govardhan Puja, i.e., the downward movement of the larger traditional elements and the integration with the elements. For this motion which is the opposite of universalization, McKim suggests the term Parochi alization.
Location
Centralization is the process of limiting space, narrowing the field of intelligibility, depriving literary form, and taking place in less systematic and less thought-provoking steps. The process of localization forms the characteristic of the creative work of ‘small communities’ within the Indian indigenous civilization. ,
Mackim Marriott told that the people of Kishangarhi village celebrate the festival of ‘Govardhan Puja’. Here two main stories are heard in this regard. Both the stories related to Govardhan Puja are taken from the main Sanskrit text ‘Bhagavata-Purana’ of the tenth century. This Purana is a part of the larger tradition of Hindus. In fact, Govardhan Parvat is situated forty miles away from Kishangarhi.
According to the story written in this Purana, Lord Shri Krishna once while playing with his companions on the Govardhan mountain, instructed them to worship the nearby Govardhan mountain rather than the distant deity like Indra. Krishna’s fellow cowherds obeyed him and started doing so. By doing this, Lord Indra became very angry and started raining torrentially and he tried to submerge the entire Braj in water, but at this time Lord Krishna saved the people and wealth of the people of Braj by lifting the Govardhan mountain. Since then the Govardhan mountain was considered sacred and worshiped in a very large area. Gradually, many rituals and beliefs (beliefs) have been included in this great tradition of Govardhan Puja, which have no relation with the story of Bhagwat Purana.
The residents of Kishangarhi told this saga. took a narrower form. Due to ignorance and etymology of Govardhana language, according to the local language, ‘dung-wealth’ became ‘cowdung-wealth’. Thus the villagers started considering cow dung as the biggest wealth. Govardhan is visible in the form of a mountain of dung in the courtyard of each family of Kishangarhi.
The mountain made of cow dung is decorated with trees made of straw and cotton. Inside the wall made of dung, the family cows, bullocks, buffaloes and even the family herdsmen, the sound of feeding the cattle, the milking utensils, the place to feed the animals etc. . On this day one rupee is presented to the family cowherd. In the evening, the relatives of each family jointly worship this mountain.
Light a lamp in the middle of the mountain, thread the trees around the mountain and shout slogans for the long life of the grandfather. On the second day this idol of cow dung is broken, its remains are used as fuel, and some part of it is saved and kept for burning after four months at the time of Holi combustion.
From the example of the above Govardhan Puja, Maquim. Marriott tries to make it clear that all these behaviors of the residents of Kishangarhi are symbolic of local characteristics, that is, when the cultural elements of Vahat (Govardhan Puja) move downwards, it changes its form during this journey. (like cow dung-wealth worship) and they get integrated into the Little Tradition. This process of turning into a larger tradition is called Marriott ‘localization’.
To illustrate this concept of localization, Macim Marriott mentions another example, Navadurga or Navratri or Naortha, the festival celebrated on the occasion of Dussehra.
The festival of Navratri is celebrated all over India, and on this day Durga, Amba or Kali Prada are worshipped. Therefore, it comes under the category of great tradition, but this festival of that tradition, due to linguistic ambiguity and loss of meaning due to contact till reaching Kishangarhi village, resulted in the emergence of a new minor goddess and this new goddess Nauratha (Nauratha). became famous by name. ,
Mackim Marriott says that from the study of Kishangarhi village it is clearly known that Naurtha Devi is also worshiped here at the time of worship of Navadurga, which does not find any mention in Hindu scriptures. ,
According to Marriott, on the occasion of Dussehra, girls and women of the village worship this goddess in the morning and evening for nine days. For nine days, women and girls make different types of idols of cow dung and clay on the wall outside every tenth house, light lamps there in the evening, worship this Naortha Devi, and sing Mangal songs. In Kishangarhi village, when the villagers were asked that Naortha is the form of which goddess, some told her the form of Durga, some of Sita while many villagers told that she is one of the Navadurga. No one in that village knew that Naortha was actually a local variation or indigenous name of Navratri, which got a new form due to linguistic confusion.
Therefore, according to Marriott, Naortha is a parochial goddess. This goddess has no relation with the larger tradition of Hindus, but once it was born, then all the villagers accepted it by recognizing it as a great goddess.
It is clear that the process of localization within Indian culture is constantly giving birth to small local traditions, rituals and beliefs.
gives. It is true that most of the traditions found in the rural system are directly or indirectly affected by the process of localization even today. Shar Vihaan Lah
Doctor . Srivastava has presented his views slightly different from Marriott. According to you, Naurtha is another alternate name of Navratri i.e. Durga, which is worshiped during Navratri period. People belonging to the Laya tradition generally keep alternate names of deities for the sake of convenience.
Doctor . b. R . Chauhan has also criticized the concept of localization determined on the basis of Govardhan Puja , and states that rather than taking the festival of Govardhan Puja as the basis for proposing this concept . Must be considered as a test site.
Lewis Spence has also pointed out that among the semi-civilized people there has been constant talk in the works of the great gods. Due to dialectical misunderstandings, descriptive words were created which brought changes in the names of the goddesses. In this way, after getting the local names of the deities and saying that the deities of that tradition have been localized and the people have adopted them as their own, it would be a big mistake. Apart from this, the people in other regions of India do not know any goddess named Naortha, nor do they celebrate Navratri worship with any other than Durga. Thus it appears that the word Naortha is used only for the goddess Durga of Navratri and not for any other goddess.
Mackim Marriott also gave examples of some gods to make his concept of localization more clear. According to the report, a deity named Sukracharya in Kishangarhi also explains the process of localization, but according to Mr. Vaastav, this explanation of Macim Marriott does not seem correct.
Mackim Marriott has written at one place that some time ago to worship Sukracharya, elders of the prominent Brahmin family of Kishangarhi erected a stone under a tree in the cremation ground of the Pahlavas, where the newlyweds of that family would get the husband’s house. Within a few days, she goes with her husband and worships the stone representing Sukracharya. He again writes that the women of that family and the Nayan (wife of the barber) of that family told Macim Marriott that the stone representing Sukracharya did not represent any cultural deity, but was the site of the ancestors of the same Brahmin family. Knowing this fact, McKim Marriott tried to forcefully impose that the cultural gods . Sukracharya has become a local deity in Kishangarhi village through the process of localization.
In spite of these observations, the above concept localization as propounded by McKim Marriott remains an extremely important concept for understanding the Indian rural system.
Universalization
– The concept of ‘Universalization’ is basically completely opposite to the concept of Parochialization. If we look at it from the literal point of view, then we can say that universalization means the spread of some cultural feature in every place. ,
Mackim Marriott refers to the process of universalization as a situation in which local and minor traditions gradually form a large tradition. Universalization is a very important concept to articulate the cultural life of any society.
The process of ‘universalisation’ was first mentioned by Milton Singer and Robert Redfield. It was later used by Mackim Marriott to explain the relationship between the minor tradition and the great tradition. McKim Marriott himself wrote in an article ‘Little Community in an Indigenous Civilization’ in his edited work ‘Village India’ that “to understand why ancient Sanskrit rituals are often associated with non-Sanskritized rituals without removing them.” go?
We have to understand the process which is related to indigenous civilization. Indigenous civilization from the point of view of definition is one to which the related large traditions are derived from the combination of elements of the already existing smaller traditions. We know this process of great traditions by the name of ‘Universalization’, ‘Ubiquitous’ or ‘Universalization’. ,
It is clear that when a large tradition is formed by the meeting of local minor or minor traditions and their interpretation is done in the scriptures, then this process of spreading culture is called ‘universalisation’.
Meaning and characteristics of universalisation.
Mackim Marriott writes that when the elements of the Little Tradition (goddess practices, rituals, etc.) move upwards, that is, the area of their spread widens, when they are the universal rasa of us.
When they reach the level of the Great Tradition and their original form changes, then we call this process ‘Universalization’. Marriott himself wrote that “the process of universalization refers to the creation of the Great Tradition from those elements which are already present in the smaller Traditions and from which the Greater Traditions are always covered.”
It is thus clear that
As the area of spread of cultural elements related to small tradition increases, then their form also changes during this time. These cultural elements gradually become part of the larger tradition over a period of time. When the elements of the minor tradition, deities, customs, rituals become prevalent to the level of the larger tradition and they are considered as part of the larger tradition itself, then this process is known as ‘universalisation’. ,
Thus we see that practically small and big traditions go hand in hand in any society and influence the life of the individual. In short, we call the process of ‘universalisation’ the large traditions which are formed by the upward changes of the elements of the minor traditions.
On the basis of this definitional analysis, some important features of ‘universalisation’ can be presented.
(1) The process of universalization develops from the interrelationship of minor and major traditions.
(2) In universalization, many traditions do not end their existence, but even after maintaining their existence, they create a new great tradition different from themselves.
(3) Both the minor and the major traditions remain the same from the point of view of purity. This means that most of the people of a society participate equally in both these traditions and consider it mandatory to fulfill the rituals associated with both.
(4) In this way, even after appearing completely new, the big traditions are not completely new, but these big traditions are basically a modified form of the minor traditions.
(5) In short, universalization is a broad extension of local religious beliefs and rituals.
Mackim Marriott has pointed out that to know why the festivals of Kishangarhi did not have much sanskritisation over a long period of time and to understand why cultural rites are usually added to them without changing the cultural rites, the primary of civilization. Or this concept of indigenous process gives beneficial guidance. According to Merrier, “An indigenous civilization is one whose great tradition is derived from the universalization or furthering of elements already existing in the minor tradition.”
It is clear that the elements of the Lagha Tradition spread quite widely as they spread. In this period of dispersal they lose their original form, and gradually they become established as part of the larger tradition, so we call it ‘universalisation’.
( Some Examples of Universalization )
Mackim Marriott has presented some traditions of Kishangarhi village as examples to illustrate the concept of ‘universalisation’. In fact, the nature of universalization
: It is also clear from the view that there is not only a mixture of local characteristics in the Waht traditions of India, but the local characteristics of the rural community have also given birth to many great traditions.
McKim Marriott has tried to explain through the study of Kishangarhi that on the occasion of Diwali festival, the villagers make an idol of rice flour on the wall of their house, which is called ‘Saurti’ in the rural language. it is said . Worshiping the goddess ‘Saurati’ is considered mandatory for the villagers here on the day of Diwali. The residents here believe that Lakshmi is the goddess of the rich, while ‘Saurati’ is their own goddess. Here apart from ‘Saurati’, Lakshmi is also worshiped on Deepawali.
Mankim Marriott has told in this regard that the beliefs related to ‘Saurati’ are related to the short tradition, but when the area of its spread widened, and this spread was upwards, then its form changed in this long journey. And she assumed the form of Lakshmi. Lakshmi is such a goddess, whose calculation is under the Vahat tradition. In this way, the minor tradition (Saurati Puja) prevalent in a particular area, over a period of time, turned into that tradition (Lakshmi Puja).
This transfer is called ‘universalisation’. Mackim Marriott has given another example of ‘Raksha Bandhan’. Marriott says that the great tradition of Raksha Bandhan has started with such a small tradition, which is called the festival of ‘Saluno’ in Kishangarhi. The festival of ‘Salno’ is celebrated in this village on the day of Raksha Bandhan all over the nation. A few days before this festival, traditionally married women prepare to return to their in-laws’ house from their parents’ house. These women, along with their married sisters, put hairs (grains considered sacred) on the heads and ears of their brothers before going back to their in-laws’ house. In fact, they do this only to keep their status and relation to their brothers because brothers do not accept anything from their sisters without giving anything, so in exchange for earrings they give some coins or money etc. to their sisters. After that brother and brother-in-law participate in the game. The festival of Raksha Bandhan is celebrated on the same day.
Brahmin pundits tying rakhis on the wrists of their jajmans with blessings and they are given cash, coins or rupees etc. in return, because traditionally it is believed that brahmins are allowed to receive something without giving anything.
The mind is In the family festival of ‘Salno’ and the special festival of Brahmins of Raksha Bandhan, similarity is found in the role of ‘Sister’ and ‘Brahmin’.
Mackim Marriott says that the festival of Raksha Bandhan appears to have originated from a small tradition festival like Saluno. Now in Kishangarhi both the festivals are celebrated simultaneously. It is evident that the spread of the Saluno festival gradually increased and gradually this festival increased . What was a minor tradition, it took the form of a tradition and it found a place in the Bhavishya Uttara Purana and many other Sanskrit religious texts.
In this way the transformation of Salano into the form of Raksha-bandhan also explains the process of universalisation.
Similarly, Mackim Marriott used some local to explain the process of universalisation. Examples of gods and goddesses have also been presented. In this context he mentions local deities named Thakur-Thakurani Nayansukh, Kalyani-and Mian Saheb and says that they represent the process of universalisation, as they are gradually becoming famous in other regions from their place of origin. But these ideas of McKim Marriott have been widely criticized. Doctor . s . Ale . by Srivastava. By doing empirical studies in Rajasthan and Eastern Uttar Pradesh, McKim has expressed disagreement with Marriott’s views. According to you, the root of these festivals lies in the larger tradition itself.
According to Srivastava, there is no other goddess, except Lakshmi. McKim Marriott himself has also written at one place that “the villagers consider Saurati as Lakshmi.” From the point of view of linguistics, it can be proved from Prasani that the word Saurati is a confusion of the word Sukhravi. Good night The word is the ancient name for the festival of Deepawali, in which Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped. In ancient times the worship of Goddess Lakshmi was called the worship of Sukhratri. Even in the present times some learned scholars have said so. That they worship Sukhratri on the night of Deepawali. It is more likely that over a period of time Sukhratri Puja has gradually come to be known as Saurati Puja due to deteriorating name among the farmers of Kishangarhi.
Generally it is found that many Hindus, while worshiping their favorite deities, keep idols and pictures of other gods and goddesses along with the picture or idol of their favorite deity and worship them too. This type of aggregation of deities can also be seen in many Hindu temples. It cannot be said by looking at these temples. That the main deity of the temple has originated from those other deities, who have been kept in that temple.
Doctor . Similarly, Srivastava has also told about the source of the festival of Raksha Bandhan that its source is in the great tradition itself, and not in the small tradition festivals, as Machim Marriott believes. Referring to the festival of Raksha Bandhan about fifty years ago, A. C . Mookerjee has written that the festival of Raksha Bandhan, also known as Saloons, falls on the full moon day of Shravan. The word Saluno is derived from the Persian word Sal – e – Nau , which means New Year !
So it seems that Saluno is a distorted form of Sal-I-Nine. This name is given to the day of the full moon of Shravan, because this day represents the beginning of the first day and the last day of the harvest or agricultural year. The festival of Raksha Bandhan falls on this day. Therefore, it is more likely that people have started calling the festival of Raksha Bandhan as Salono or Saluno, because both Salon-I-Nine and the festival of Raksha Bandhan fall on the same day.
Another thing to note is that the practice of calling the festival of Raksha Bandhan as the festival of Salno is mostly in those areas, where Muslim culture has had more influence. This word is not known to the people of those areas where the influence of Muslim culture is negligible. Apart from this, the mention of the word Salano does not appear in history or literary works before the arrival of Muslim culture. But the word Raksha Bandhan is mentioned in the Bhavishyuttar Puranas, in which it is quoted that Indrani had tied a thread of protection in Indra’s right hand, with the effect of which Indra defeated the Asuras.
Doctor . Srivastava also disproves the statement of McKim Marriott in which Marriott tried to explain the concept of universalization through local deities. Srivastava believes that none of these deities (Thakur-Thakurain, Nayansukh, Kalyani, Miya Mahit etc.) have made their place in that tradition. This idea is also unable to explain the universality of Mackim Marriott.
Doctor . b. R . Chauhan has also written that the concepts of ‘localization’ and ‘universalisation’ help in tracing the variation from one category to another to the extent that the categories are recognizable. These concepts do not explain the rise and fall of festivals within categories. Why didn’t Mackim Marriott question Sanskritisation from this creation over a long period of time? And why are cultural rites added without removing the cultural rites? remains unanswered by the concepts of universalization, localization or primary equality, i.e.
There is no solution to this question.
At most these processes describe how we operate motion, but not the logical basis behind it. It is self-evident from the above discussion that the concepts of universalization and localization are certainly helpful in explaining the interaction or interaction found between the major and minor traditions, but not in explaining that the origin of any particular cultural element is first of all in the larger tradition. or in a short tradition. Milton Singer was also greatly influenced by the exchange of small and large traditions. , Singers were most influenced by cultural media in India. Cultural medium i.e. song, dance, drama, festival, ceremony, story, preaching, recitation of scriptures, worship, yajna etc., through which Indian culture was greatly expressed. You have been greatly influenced by the ways in which these forms continue to integrate into each other.
( Difference Between Parochialization and Universalization )
Having made a detailed explanation of localization and universalization, we are now in a position to understand the difference between the two processes. Localization and Universalization are different even though they are interrelated with each other. We can understand the major differences found in these by keeping the following points
(1) Localization means the development of the Great Traditions downwards (in the direction of the Minor Traditions), that is, in this process a great tradition gives rise to many small or minor traditions. Universalization, on the other hand, refers to the upward development of small traditions or local traditions. The meaning of this is that this process clarifies the formation of a great tradition from many small or minor traditions.
(2) The process of localization limits the scope of the traditions. In other words, in this concept there is a sense of narrowness related to religious life. The process of universalization expands the sphere of influence of the opposite tradition.
(3) The increase in the effect of the process of localization increases the number of local beliefs and rituals, while the process of universalization is opposed to the spread of local rituals.
(4) The process of localization does not give rise to any new beliefs or rituals, rather it develops elements of an already existing large tradition into several smaller ones. On the other hand, the process of universal battle is such a process in which a new tradition is born from many minor traditions, whose characteristics are completely different from the original minor traditions.
(5) The process of localization is a kind of contemporary tradition, that is, the nature of local traditions is seen differently in each region, place and groups. On the other hand, the process of universalization is more systematic in the sense that the nature of beliefs and rituals related to it appears almost the same in all areas.
Fathi If we try to understand the development of these two concepts in picture form, then we can put it in the following form PREPET WAHAT TRADITIONAL KEY (Great Tradition) Localization Universalization I (Parochialization) CI (Universalization) Small Tradition Little Tradition
Little and Great Traditions
To understand the Indian society from a systematic point of view, it is necessary that we study all those ‘traditions’ from which the Indian social system has its own specialty. The rural social system is even more important from the point of view of traditions.
Indian society is composed of many types of traditions, rituals, customs and religious beliefs due to being very diverse. In order to study Indian society, some scholars have clarified it on many traditional bases like Varna, Dharma, Karma, Purushartha, Prashram etc. While some other scholars have considered the rural primary and social system as the basis of the discussion of Indian society. have taken . Such an approach is not correct. In fact, Indian rural system has been able to maintain its distinct identity due to some of its distinctive local traditions and characteristics. Before we study the Little and Great traditions in detail, let us understand what is the tradition?
What is tradition?
In very general terms, tradition is called the Ways of Behavior. The combined form of ideas, customs, values, beliefs, religions, customs, practices etc. prevailing in the society can be broadly called tradition. James Drever has defined tradition as “that collection of laws, customs, stories and legends which are fundamentally passed down from one generation to another.” Morris Ginsburg wrote that “of tradition”. Meaning is the sum of all those ideas, practices and practices, which are related to a community of individuals.
It is irritating and is passed on from one generation to the next. “Prof. Yogendra Singh, while explaining the tradition in ‘Tradition and Modernity in India’ has written that “Tradition is the accumulated heritage of a society, which prevails at all levels of social organization, such as value system, social structure and personal structure. “3 Thus we see that tradition is that non-material aspect of social heritage (customs, customs, practices, thoughts, beliefs, customs, religions, laws etc.) Ways of Behaviour) and the continuity of which is maintained through the process of transmission from generation to generation. Three major streams of cultural traditions appear in Indian society, which have been called as cultural sub-structures. Dr. Unnithan Indradev and Yogendra Singh have kept them in three parts.
- Elite – Sub – Structure
, 2 . Folk – Sub – Structure , and
- Tribal – Sub – Structure .
Here we should keep in mind that the main area of folk sub-structure has been ‘rural India’ and ‘urban India’ of elite traditions. It should not be construed as such.
Elements of aristocratic tradition in rural India and folk tradition in urban India are not found? In fact, both these traditions and their elements are so close to each other that they cannot be understood separately?
Robert Redfield, on the basis of his study, for the first time proved that every civilization is built from traditions. According to the graph, on the one hand, the traditions of aristocratic people or a few thinking people come, and on the other, the traditions of people or illiterate farmers. The former is called the Great Tradition and the latter is called the Little Tradition. Each tradition has its own social by measure. There is organization i.e. there are institutional roles, statuses and workers. Both traditions are understood as symbols of a worldview that represents the unity of civilization. It is clear from the above statement of Robert Redfield that the small traditions are represented by the masses or illiterate farmers and the low traditions are represented by the elite or reflective people. , Therefore, it is necessary that we explain the meaning of small and big tradition and explain the mutual exchange or interaction of these two traditions in the rural society of India.
Meaning of small and large tradition
( Meaning of Little and Great Tradition )
Robert Redfield introduced the great architecture of the temples and palaces of Mexico’s Maya culture, refined bananas, astronomy, almanacs, literature written in hieroglyphs, deities and nature forces and the tradition based on religion, and vice versa, small villages and monasteries. The activities of earning life found in the cities, crafts, villages and related organizations and religion based on nature were called by the name of small tradition.
According to Robert Redfield the vast tradition is nurtured in schools and temples. Small tradition develops and sustains itself in the lives of the uneducated in rural communities. The tradition of the philosopher, theologian and literary man is such a tradition which is deliberately declared and transferred. The tradition of small people is mostly considered intuitive and it is not specially rectified and improved. The major and minor traditions develop first because of their own creative power and then they are influenced by the traditions of external civilizations. This happens through historical contact, war, political influence or communication. Redfield believes that civilizations and their social structures also change through these external contacts. You believe that all structures arise on the basis of their own creative power and change in these by external contact.
In general terms, it can be said that if a tradition related to cultural or religious life has no relation with the original religious texts, that tradition is prevalent in a small area and most of the people do not understand its real meaning, then such We call the tradition a small tradition. This means that the small tradition has a local area. The beliefs that gradually develop within a small area, after some time take the form of a religious act. As a result, such beliefs and religious actions take the form of minor traditions.
Robert Redfield says that generally the tradition of illiterate farmers is considered as a minor tradition. The ego develops in the community of illiterate farmers and it is here that it gets its stability. In India, if we try to see them, then we see that they are gods and goddesses, religious rituals, customs, fairs, festivals, literature, music and various cultural elements which have all India religious texts like – Vedas, Puranas, Mahabharata. Documents written in Ramayana, Upanishads, Gita and other similar texts are available, keep them under Great Tradition. go. mother
On the other hand, those gods and goddesses, festivals, religious rituals, customs, fairs, folk tales, folk songs, folk dances, magic rituals and other cultural activities, which are described in written form in all India religious texts and other books. are not found and which are mainly transmitted from generation to generation in oral form, are found under ‘Little Tradition’. In India, both these traditions have been observed since very ancient times and these traditions also have their own characteristics. Both these traditions have also been very close to each other, the people related to them have also been in close contact with each other. As a result, there is a constant interaction between these traditions. ,
Doctor . b. across. Chouhan has explained the difference between the major traditions and minor traditions by tabulating them as follows on the basis of the study done in the village ‘Ranawat ki Sadri’ in Rajasthan. The framework of analysis proposed by Robert Redfield, Mackim Marriot, Milton Singer and their colleagues, has been used to understand the process of social change in India.
Mackim Marriott, on the basis of his study of Kishangarhi, a village in Uttar Pradesh, has tried to explain the interaction between the Wahat and the small traditions through ‘Parochialization’ and ‘Universalization’. and Dr. Yogendra Singh has told that in this approach, there is a social organization of the basic idea, civilization and tradition. This approach is based on the evolutionary view that the structure of a civilization or tradition (which consists of both cultural and social structures) develops in two phases.
- Orthogenetic or Idigenous Evolution
2 . Hetrogenetic Contacts . with other Caltures or Civilizations
The social structure of these civilizations operates at two levels – first, at the level of the common people, illiterate people and second, at the level of the elite or some thinking people. The cultural processes that come under the first make up the minor tradition, and the cultural processes that fall under the second make up the great tradition. There is a constant interaction between these two levels of traditions.
(Prof. Yogendra Singh has written in this work that in this evolutionary approach it is recognized that all institutions begin at the level of their own local cultural organization, and as a result of the process of development gradually over time. Due to contact with other cultures and cultures, differences or differences arise in it. This direction of change is from rural or peasant to negligible cultural structure and social organization.
In the final stages it develops into a universal model of culture, especially through the increasing inter-contacts of the civilizations. , _ _ _ Mackim Marriott has also accepted both these types of traditions. It has been told that first small traditions are found at the level of the farming society and secondly there are large traditions found at the level of negligible society. Marriott himself writes that “If a tradition is in accordance with the practices described in the ancient scriptures, and it is spread in the whole society, then we call it Vahat Parampara. ,
( Little and Great Tradition – Interrelation and Difference )
By understanding the meaning of the minor and major traditions, we can conclude that while there is some interdependence between these two traditions, there is also a difference between them. As far as interdependence is concerned, it has been seen that both these traditions have been influencing each other for a long time, and are doing the same.
Robert Redfield wrote that “the great and minor traditions can be seen as two streams of thought and action, which are separate from each other but still intertwining and flowing through each other.” The picture of their relationship will be almost like the histomps that we sometimes see, that is, the diagrams which show the rise and change of religions and civilizations in the chronological order.
In relation to how the larger tradition reached the common people, V. Raghavan (V. Raghavan) has written that “Hindu kings-Maharajas used to establish huge funds for singing Hindu epics in the temples built by them.” About southern India, it has been written that “there are Hindu king temples. They used to give donations for the recitation of ancient epics, especially the Ramayana. These stories were not only recited, but were spread through devotional songs by singers who were on the move. Thus philosophers, religious thinkers, sages and storytellers Through this, the Baht Tradition should be made accessible to the common people of the villages or the people belonging to the Minor Tradition.
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Pro . Yes . Von Unbaum has described how conflicts, companionship, and development took place between the Islamic larger culture and the local cultures. He writes that “the meaning of saying is that one of these modes of life is considered more advanced than the other, that authority is the basis of authority, it is expressed in the creations of the elite as well as in their public activities. Social respect depends on adopting them. The Islamic way of life in Dareslam (Dara-Islam) is generally in a state of high tradition. In contrast, the Lagha tradition is a form of popular undercurrent, its effectiveness is still felt by intellectuals, but formalized: it is not accepted. “Where the sub-concepts of many traditions are considered to be beliefs, the sub-imaginings of smaller traditions are considered to be superstitions.
In reality, the social status of a person depends on which one of these two traditions he decides to accept in his life. Thus, according to you, the major and minor traditions complement each other, and they keep on interacting.
If we consider the fundamental values and world-view of small and big traditions from each other basis, then we know that these traditions are similar but still there are differences in them.
Robert Redfield has written that it can be said that the world-view of the minor traditions of India is polytheistic, witchcraft and demonstrative, while the intellectual and moral outlook of various streams of the larger Vedic tradition is different from them.
The Vedas are polytheistic and poetic, the thinking of the Upanishads is abstract monistic and wholly theistic, while the important Vaishnava and Shaiva sects are theistic and moralistic. We can see similar differences elsewhere as well. Redfield has tried to explain by giving an example from India, how the strong tradition develops and then how the cultural elements of that tradition are found in the form of minor traditions even in the villages. Redfield takes a famous religious text of India ‘Ramayan’ for this.
According to you, a poet named Valmiki composed this epic on the basis of material stories or fables and this story became a part of the high tradition of India. From the ninth century to the sixteenth century it was translated into many popular languages of India, and in these translated forms it was sung and promoted by professional singers of the cultural structure. In the sixteenth century, a saint named Tulsidas wrote it in Hindi language, which was read on the occasion of many villages and festivals.
This interpreter of the high cultural tradition created a kind of original-source text. It is said that this book is more prevalent in Indian villages than the Bible in the villages of England. But with the passage of time Tulsidas’s Hindi became difficult for the villagers. He added his local popular words to it. Now an interpreter is needed to understand this basic text of Indian village. This interpretation is done on the occasion of the festival of ‘Ramlila’. There are two types of people participating in the act of Rama and Sita and the war stories with Ravana. A pundit from the high or great tradition finds it on the stage and reads from this Hindi text of the sixteenth century, and goes on interpreting it. It is necessary to read this book, because it is a holy book. But it is difficult to understand it. That is why when a pandit is studying, a nut (usually an illiterate village person) is responsible for that act.
Abhimayya begins what is narrated in the text, then the pundit stops and the actor repeats it in tej mawaz in melodious language, which had previously been read by the pundit in the original language. It is clear from this that the actual plan of cultural moral education in the villages consists in following the tradition.
Similarly, we see that in India there is a continuous and multifaceted interaction between the small and small traditions. These thoughts and teachings of the thoughtful and civilized minds related to the great tradition are clearly visible in the festivals, rituals and exhibits of the farmers-societies related to the minor tradition. This does not mean that only the minor tradition takes over from the larger tradition.
In fact, the great tradition also takes many elements from the minor tradition and integrates them into itself. To know this tendency of giving in small and big tradition, we have to know the direction of flow of culture. This direction is the tip of the minor tradition from the great tradition and the tip of the great tradition from the small. It is so necessary that in the present time, the minor tradition is relatively accepting more than the larger one. The villagers belonging to the minor tradition have received many mortal pleasures from the nobles belonging to the larger tradition, the influence of the aristocratic culture is always visible on them.
Even in the religious field, some concepts prevalent among the common people like sin-punya, heaven-hell, soul and brahm, rebirth etc. are the elements of the tradition itself, which have been assimilated by the small tradition. There are many stories related to Ramayana and Mahabharata.
The dramas performed in rural areas only express the tradition and cultural flow. Rasleela, Ramlila and many other religious plays are very popular among the masses in rural areas. The influence of many traditions can also be clearly seen on the traditional political organizations found in agricultural societies in India.
The sources of many stories and songs popular among the rural people are texts related to the Vahat tradition like Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavad-Gita Gradi. Similarly, many elements of that tradition have become part of the minor tradition, but this should not imply that all or most of the elements of the minor tradition have passed through the great tradition to the minor tradition.
In the same way, this flow of culture has not only happened from the great to the minor tradition, but it has also developed from the labyrinth to the great tradition. The facts obtained from the farming societies prove that that tradition is also continuously adopting some elements from the small tradition, in lesser quantity than the Brahmi small tradition.
The dress of the aristocrats , their dress , their sporting stature . From the observation of various fields related to film, singing, dance, faith, superstition and life, it is clearly visible that they have taken a lot from the small tradition related to the farming societies. Is . Village-style dress, folk-song and folk-dance become very popular among the elite people, although the elite people belonging to the Vahat tradition are more intelligent and knowledgeable than the people belonging to the small tradition, but still they The prevailing beliefs and superstitions have a clear effect in the Lagha tradition. People hang a black earthen pot or a similar face on the upper part of the newly built bungalows and huge rooms to protect them from sight. They also believe in omens and bad omen.
It is clear from these examples that the direction of cultural flow is not only from Wahat tradition to Ladh tradition but also from the minor tradition to the great tradition. It must be ill-advised that as much as the small tradition is absorbing from the large tradition, that tradition is not as much from the small tradition. Even after all this, we have to keep in mind that there is enough difference between these two concepts. Some of the major differences are as follows
(1) Major traditions are generally mentioned in ancient written scriptures, whereas minor traditions have no direct relation to the work with any original scripture. Then these minor traditions are also unwritten and only in the form of a belief (belief) these traditions are followed by the local people.
(2) The great traditions are very widespread, that is, their nature is national. While the scope of minor traditions is limited and usually local, this is the reason why minor traditions of different regions differ greatly from each other.
(3) Large traditions are generally more related to the elite, reflective and urban people, whereas the development of small traditions is mostly done by the people of rural, trained and farming class.
(4) Big traditions are generally found in a very systematic form, the nature of rules, rituals, rituals, prohibitions etc. related to these traditions are very clear. Small traditions are disordered in the sense that the rules of behavior related to them are not completely fixed and determined. Jam
(5) The subject matter of great traditions is classical. That is, these traditions are very ancient and mythological and last forever. On the contrary, the basis of minor traditions is considered to be unscriptural, their nature is neither mythical nor their effect is compulsive.
( 6) Major traditions are passed on in writing from one generation to another, while minor traditions are generally passed from one generation to another. are transmitted orally across generations. Thus we see that there is a substantial difference between these two traditions.
The big tradition can be called ‘Elite Tradition’ and the minor tradition can also be called ‘Folk Tradition’. Doctor . Unnithan, Indradev and Yogendra Singh have used the concept of great tradition and minor tradition in the form of aristocratic and folk traditions. According to them these are two sub-structures of Indian culture, which complement each other. The existence of each of these is related to each other. These two are very closely related to each other. These can be called ‘dimensions’ of each other.
It is very difficult to separate these two traditions from each other, although they are fundamentally different from each other. The elite tradition is more systematic, specific and self-conscious than the folk tradition. But in fact, in order to understand any one of these traditions, it is necessary that we should try to understand it in the context of the other tradition itself. Doctor . Shyama Charan Dubey and some other sociologists have criticized the dualisation of traditions in the form of small and large traditions. Doctor . Dubey believes that the analysis of cultural changes on the basis of the concept of minor and major traditions is not satisfactory, because the tradition in India
Organization of atoms not in the form of ‘bipolar’ system but ‘multipolar’
(Multi-polar) arrangement.
Doctor . Dubey says that “as far as the minor and major traditions are concerned, no definite definition can be given. Where there is more than one great or many great traditions, each of them has its own authentic texts and moral codes of conduct, makes the situation even more confusing. It may be said that the context framework of the Great and Minor Traditions is appropriate for contemplating the role and importance of regional, western and emerging national traditions, each of which is powerful in its own way. does not provide the field.” ] –
Doctor . Dubey has classified the traditions into six forms as an alternative to the above contextual framework. Doctor . According to Dubey these six traditions are as follows
(1) Classical tradition.
(2) Emerging national tradition.
(3) Regional tradition.
(4) Western tradition.
(5) Local traditions of social groups.
(6) Sub-cultural traditions.
Doctor . In Dubey’s mind the above classification is more representative of Indian cultural realities, and it provides a good reference book for analysis. According to you each of these types of tradition should be studied in rural and urban context.
Rural Power Structure: Leadership – Its Changed Paradigms, Rural Faction, Dominant Caste
( Rural Power Structure : Leadership – – Its SREE Bus Changing Patterns . Rural Factionism , Dominant Caste )
For systematic study of any social system it is necessary that all its aspects should be studied. Politics is a very important subject in new studies. For many nations, the politicization of people and groups is also very important from the sociological point of view.
To understand the nature, direction and other important features of change in developing countries, it is necessary to understand the political process there. In India, there is a social power in the rural community since very ancient times. On the basis of this the status of the person is determined. Many religious texts, historians and scholars have mentioned the political system of the villages of ancient India.
A common feature observed about the historical political system is that in the determination of social power, importance was given to the Ascribed Status in ancient times, and not to the Achieved Status. In the study of Indian rural political system by many scholars, A. s . Altekar and B. N. The name of Puri is noteworthy. You have presented a detailed study of the ancient rural political system in your book ‘State and Government in Ancient India’. , Henry Maine in ‘Village Communities in the East and West’ has mentioned the presence of councils and chiefs of old people in Indian villages. Paskar Lewis studied group and leadership in northern India.
The interest of sociologists towards the study of rural power structure and leadership in India has arisen recently and many Indian social scientists have sponsored such studies in rural political system. Doctor . Yogendra Singh studied the power structure in six villages of Uttar Pradesh. M . N. Srinivas and Shyamacharan Dabe have mentioned the methodology of studying the patterns of rural leadership. Srinivas in rural leadership
The concept of Dominant Caste has been given an important place, while Dubey considers the concept of leadership limited to a few individuals in comparison to the Prabhu caste. Prabhat Chandra has studied rural leadership in favor of traditional leadership in an article written by him.
Many scholars have presented their studies in Park and Ticker’s compiled work ‘Leadership and Political Institutions in India’. In these, many articles have been written by Propler, Budd, Heink, Orenstein, Beals Macarmack, Harper etc. Ma Mrs. Leela Dubey, Rai, Dr. Kothari, L. P . The concept, methods and facts of leadership in India have been mentioned by Vidyarthi et al. On the basis of several articles presented in the seminar on Tribal and Rural Leadership held in Ranchi in 1962, Mr. Vidyarthi has edited the book ‘Leadership in India’, which is a masterpiece of the study of rural tribal leadership. Thus we see that many scholars have presented their studies on rural structure and leadership. We must note that the power structure is never independent in itself. Leadership is that important medium through which a particular form of power is made effective. Before we try to understand power structure and leadership pattern, let us understand what is power, power structure and leadership?