Trajectories Of ‘The Religion of The People’: The Cases of SNDP And Mahima Dharma

Abstract

Drawing upon Gramsci's notion of "the religion of the people" which is counter-hegemonic and believes in 'intellectual and moral reformation' of an unequal society, this paper argues that there are such intellectual tendencies that grow in organic connection with subaltern strata and articulates resistance to or creates alternative spaces in organised religion. The paper is more about intellectual history rather than actual historical life. It primarily focuses on textual traditions and draws comparative insights in light of Gramsci's conceptual analysis of popular religion. It examines speech acts of two popular religious sects from Kerala and Odisha: Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP) and Mahima Dharma led by two towering lower caste intellectuals such as Narayana Guru (Kerala) and Bhima Bhoi (Odisha) both from the late 19th century Colonial India. Both movements produced an alternative religio-social philosophy drawing and transcending the subaltern experience, which critiqued caste order practised forms of social equality within the respective sects but offered different liberation theologies. Despite their differences in their emphasis on social reforms , theology and institution building, both movements complemented each other by creating a mass movement with a new 'liberation theology'.