Subaltern Sovereigns: Rituals of Rule and Regeneration in Highland Odisha, India

Peter Berger

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Subaltern Sovereigns

Rituals of Rule and Regeneration in Highland Odisha, India

Peter Berger
Funded by: University of Groningen

Language: English

Published/Copyright: 2023

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Volume 66 | Religion and Society

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The vast and ancient topic of kingship in India has mostly been studied from the perspectives of rulers and other elites. But what constitutes sovereignty viewed from "below"? This book — ethnographic and comparative in its essence — deals with indigenous conceptualizations of sovereignty taking as its starting point a local proverb that connects the ritual (Dasara) of the king with festivals performed by his "tribal" subjects. The first part of the book initially introduces some pan-Indian ideas of kingship and proceeds to discuss indigenous notions of sovereignty as represented in rituals and myths in the region concerned (highland Odisha). The second part is devoted to the investigation of the proverbial performances. Mainly based on historical sources first the Dasara festival of the king is discussed, subsequently the indigenous rituals are described and analyzed, which the author ethnographically documented around the turn of the millennium. Ultimately, the proverb and the rituals constitute the idea of a sacrificial polity in which rulers and ruled share sovereignty in the sense that they are co-responsible for the flow of life.

Author / Editor information

Peter Berger, University of Groningen, Netherlands.

Reviews

"This book is a very welcome and rich ethnographic
synthesis, and I agree with many of its conclusions." Raphaël Rousseleau in: Anthropos 119.2024

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	I
Preface Publicly Available Download PDF	VII
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	XI
1 Introduction: A Proverb and Its Protagonists, Their Rituals and the Region Open Access Download PDF	1
Part One: Kings, Subjects and Subaltern Sovereigns
2 Some Pan-Indian Ideas about Kingship Open Access Download PDF	41
3 Indigenous Views on Kingship Open Access Download PDF	64
4 Kings and Tribes: History and Models of Their Relationships Open Access Download PDF	108
Part Two: Proverbial Performances
5 Royal Rituals in Comparative Perspective: The King’s Dasara Open Access Download PDF	153
6 Rituals of Rice and Rebellion: The Ganga Festival of the Joria Open Access Download PDF	218
7 Of Millet and Mounds: The Nandi Festival of the Joria Open Access Download PDF	270
8 A Festival of “Flowers:” The Bali Jatra of the Mali Open Access Download PDF	312
9 Transformations of the Dead: The Go’ter of the Gadaba Open Access Download PDF	356
10 Conclusion: Navigating Life Open Access Download PDF	396
Appendix 1: Glossary of local terms (including botanical names) Open Access Download PDF	405
Appendix 2: Myths Open Access Download PDF	413
Appendix 3: Nandi song (Nandi git) Open Access Download PDF	437
Bibliography Open Access Download PDF	441
List of Tables Open Access Download PDF	461
List of Maps Open Access Download PDF	463
List of Photos Open Access Download PDF	465
Index Open Access Download PDF	467

Publishing information

Pages and Images/Illustrations in book

eBook published on:

May 8, 2023

eBook ISBN:

9783110458831

Hardcover published on:

May 8, 2023

Hardcover ISBN:

9783110458077

Paperback published on:

June 30, 2025

Paperback ISBN:

9783112216187

Pages and Images/Illustrations in book

Front matter:

8

Main content:

471

Illustrations:

1

Coloured Illustrations:

59

Coloured Maps:

3

Tables:

1

Coloured Tables:

2

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110458831

eBook ISBN: 9783110458831

Hardcover ISBN: 9783110458077

Paperback ISBN: 9783112216187

Keywords for this book

Ritual; Adivasis; Odisha; sovereignty

Audience(s) for this book

Scholars in the fields of anthropology, Indology, ritual studies, Adivasi studies, ritual economy, rituals and agriculture

Creative Commons

BY-ND 4.0

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Walter de Gruyter GmbH
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10785 Berlin
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Subaltern Sovereigns

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About this book

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