Hinduization of Other Religions: For and Against the Motion

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This paper examines the proposition that despite the absence of a central organization or scriptures, Hinduism down the ages has continued to Hinduize other religions. To examine this proposition, five instances have been analyzed arguing ‘for’ and ‘against the motion.

The instances that harmful ghosts and disease-producing spirits have become “Hinduized”; locations and/or local legends/objects in towns and cities becoming Hinduized; lower castes and tribes becoming Hinduized; Muslims becoming Hinduized and village painters and paintings becoming Hinduized is examined through a literature review of varied anthropological sources comprising of films, documentaries, and writings.

The paper concludes by stating that while Hinduization has been largely successful and ongoing, certain factors such as stratification of the Hindu caste system, exploitation of the weaker castes, and lack of missionary zeal have acted as stoppages in the growth of Hinduization especially from Islamic scholars who have striven to keep their religion pure.

One of the enigmas of Hinduism is that – despite its absence of any central organization, or infallible scriptures, or any set of required beliefs, or any coordinated priesthood, or even any commitment to expansion and conversion- Hinduism is an expanding and converting religion. Through the process of “Hinduization”, items that were once specifically non-Hindu- geographical sites, deities, saints, people, taboos, ceremonies, etc.- have been redefined to fit within the Hindu worldview, and have in time been absorbed into Hinduism with its castes, its deference to Brahmins, and its identification of Vishnu and Shiva as major representations of the Divine. Outside groups that have come into India, as well as groups inside India that have protested against Hinduism, have become progressively “Hinduized”. “Hinduization” has never stopped in India. This paper explains five instances ‘for’ and ‘against’ supporting or refuting the basic proposition elucidated above.

Harmful ghosts and disease- producing spirits becoming “Hinduized”

FOR. In Hinduism, the duality of good and evil is synthesized in such ways that an evil spirit or goddess can be harnessed to produce good effect under some circumstances. For example, Sitala Mata, the Goddess of pustular disease if worshipped in the correct manner is believed to protect her devotees against the very diseases that she has power to spread. Most North Indian villages have a village deity called as Dih who safeguard the village from misfortunes. Many variations of Sitala Mata are supposed to be the consorts of these Dihs who then influence the Goddess to spare the village from disease and pestilence. In Hindu belief system, people who die naturally, when given proper funeral rites attain release to heaven. However those who suffer an untimely death (akal-mrutyu) become ghosts who can be dangerous and malevolent. The ghosts of Brahmins called Bhrams are considered most powerful. These Bhrams if properly worshipped can become powerful allies (BBC-TV) of the living.
AGAINST. Djins and malevolent spirits that form part of the Muslim folklore have not been hinduized. The superimposition of Hindu beliefs on Islamic community in the Indian Subcontinent has been resisted by Islamic scholars who have striven to remove all such influence through vigorous preaching. Contra Hindu movements like the Arya Samaj have striven to remove blind faith in Hindu beliefs and have succeeded to a large part in ensuring that their followers have a rational outlook to life, away from the exploitative caste system of the Hindus and their irrational beliefs in the supernatural.

Locations and/or Local legends/objects in towns and cities becoming Hinduized

FOR. The grave of Ramdev in the town of Ramdevra, state of Rajasthan, India is one clear example of how Hinduism pervades the social fabric of India. Ramdev was a 15^th century martial Hindu-saint whose disciples believed in his ability to perform miracles. The remarkable part of Ramdev’s persona was his ability to attract disciples and followers across the religious spectrum. The saint even had Muslim disciples, even when the Quran does not allow Muslims to worship anybody except Allah, let alone a Hindu saint who by Islamic tenet are termed as ‘Kafirs’ or non-believers and infidels. That Ramdev typified Hindu syncretistic approach is evident from the fact that he was buried instead of being burnt at the funeral pyre as per Hindu traditions (Wisconsin-University, An Indian Pilgrimage: Ramdevra). Thus, the burial of Ramdev shows adherence to a Muslim tradition. That the concept of grave has been ‘Hinduised’ is borne by the fact that a temple has been erected over the grave thus synthesizing a Muslim tradition with Hindu religion. Even the grave of Ramdev’s mother (buried adjacent) has Quranic inscriptions. The predominantly Hindu holy city of Varanasi or ‘Kashi’ to most pilgrims is considered holy by Hindus, Buddhists, Jails and Muslims (Wisconsin-University, An Indian Pilgrimage: Kashi) for a variety of reasons is yet another instance of synthesis where despite overwhelming majority, Hindus allow the worshippers from monotheistic religion such as Islam in their ‘backyard’. In the village of Soyepur, state of Bihar, India, many deities with distinctly Muslim names such as Bahadur-Sayid, Makdum-saheb) are worshipped pointing to yet another proof of Hinduization of local legends (Wages of Action). Sai baba a famous Muslim saint is worshipped by Hindus alike. In the last century, the worship of ‘Panchpiriya’ or five Muslim saints was quite common across North India.
AGAINST. The syncretistic efforts of Ramdev in trying to synthesize Hinduism and Islam have not been successful. The number of Muslim followers or visitors to Ramdev’s shrine has reduced considerably since the partition of India especially after the borders in Rajasthan were closed after the Indo-Pak war of 1965. Modern day Islamic clergy in India discourage Muslims from visiting such sites to purify their religion. The followers of Muslim saint Ghazi Miya has dwindled from 50,000 to 100,000 in the early 20^th century to a lesser number. Therefore it can be surmised that while the syncretistic influence of Hinduism did exist, its effects were temporary and not permanent.

Lower castes and tribes becoming Hinduized

FOR. The Savara tribe in the state of Orissa, India was an indigenous tribe following its own religious imagery. In 12^th century C.E, the Hindu King of Kalinga conquered Orissa and as a means to enhance public relations, built the famous Jaganath temple at Puri. Jaganath, an avatar of Vishnu was then elevated to be the lord of the empire by the next set of rulers in the 13^th century (Darubramha-Wooden Lord). As per the legend, it was stated that to build the statue of Lord Jaganath, wood from the Daru tree was required which only the Daita tribal priests of the Savara tribe were able to lift and transport to the Jaganath temple from the forests. Therefore the Hindu kings honored the Daita priests of the Savara tribe to form part of the inner circle of priests that were allowed to serve Lord Jaganath. As a result, the Savara tribe gave up their indigenous gods and became followers of Lord Jaganath. Lord Vishnu in the temple at Puri is represented by four lords made out of wood. Quite cannily these ‘lords’ represent some elements of tribal beliefs also along with the mainstream Hindu treatment of the mythology surrounding the idols. Whether the legend is true or not, is not the point. What resulted was political and social cohesion of the Hindu kingdom with a possibly fractious clan of tribes. Thus, in this case the hinduization of the Savara tribe served not only a social purpose but also a political purpose.
AGAINST. While Hinduism is the religion of a large majority of Indians, an equally significant number of Indians remain outside the stratified Hindu caste system consisting of Brahmins, Khshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. According to the 1931 census of Indian population around 7.5 % of the population can be termed as ‘scheduled tribes’ (9). In the 1960 census, 255 such tribes were listed. Most of these tribes continue to remain on the margins of the society and do not get the same privileges or treatment by the rest of the Hindu majority. In fact, the reason why the Government of India chose to identify such tribes as ‘scheduled tribes’ was a recognition of the fact that these tribes needed to be integrated into the mainstream society for which government ‘affirmative action was required. The exceptional case of Savara tribe priests replacing the Brahmins as the priests for the worship of Lord Jaganath does not detract from the fact that the tribe is yet listed as a ‘scheduled tribe’ outside the pale of Hindu society whose members continue to remain disadvantaged versus the other members of the Hindu caste system. In effect, the ‘hinduization’ of the Savara tribe is limited only to the worship of Lord Jaganath and does not extend to the socio-economic integration of the tribe to the mainstream society.

Muslims becoming Hinduized

FOR. Muslims in India have a unique cross cultural experience. Despite having ruled most of India during the Mughal period, Islam did not become the religion of the region. In fact Islam coexisted and continues to do so in India, acquiring many of the secular traditions from Hinduism. This is reflected in the Muslims in India adopting the Hindu extended family structure, where the family while adhering to the basic tenets of Islam allows sufficient freedom to its members to follow their life’s choices. Such life choices could also include taking up modern western professions such as allowing women to pursue a career in psychology overseas (Being Muslin in India). Qawwali is a Muslim adaptation of essentially Hindu music which is very popular throughout the Indian Subcontinent. As per orthodox Islamic tenets, music is forbidden; while in India Muslims celebrate music pointing to a distinctive hinduisation of the Muslim community. In the city of Banaras, Muslims and Hindus join up in Qawwalis and even perform the music in Hindu festivals as Maha Shivratri (Kaatz 3).Despite hardliners on both sides of the community; the city of Banaras has maintained cordial relations between the two communities for over 800 years now. In Banaras, the Shiite commemoration of Karbala has multiethnic participation, a unique feature not found anywhere in the world. The mystical branch of Islam, the Sufis thrived in their contact with the Hindu religion and have been responsible for a number of conversions from Hinduism to Islam (Williams 132). Muslim India’s greatest ruler, Emperor Akbar was an integrator who created a new religion called Din-I- Illahi (Being Muslin in India) that integrated the teachings of Islam and Hinduism.
AGAINST. The hinduization of Muslims in India is only at the superficial level. A few instances of cultural pollination such as singing and participation in Karbala do not detract from the fact that the Muslim population in India continues to remain marginalized from the mainstream society despite being 11% of the population (9). The very fact that partition of India took place precisely to give the Muslims of India a separate homeland, during which millions were killed in race riots, goes to prove that Muslims have always adhered to maintaining the purity of their religion. Emperor Akbar’s religion did not survive his death and was promptly banned by the next Emperor Aurangzeb who was a hard line Islamist. It is a fact that unlike other communities, Muslims in India have tended to live in their own areas and ghettos shows that the integrative quality of Hinduism has not worked as far as the Muslims are concerned.

Village painters and paintings becoming Hinduized

FOR. One of the endearing qualities of Hinduization is its ability to accommodate disparate societies and ideas within its fold. With a rich oral tradition and numerous folklores to draw upon, even artists have hinduized to their advantage. A typical example is the artist community of Madhubani (1), a region straddling the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and Nepal where a style of painting known as Mithila paintings depict the integrative qualities of Hinduism. The artists draw their inspiration from the folktales and myths to paint distinctive styles on paper that have now become world famous. The Mithila artists cut across all sections of the Hindu society starting from Brahmins to the low caste Shudras all united by their art displaying no rancor to each other.
AGAINST. The video Mithila Painters is hardly an example of hinduization of the people. Mithila paintings arose out of the socio-economic needs of a section of the Indian society who, helped by the All India Handicrafts Board established a style of painting that has helped them uplift themselves out of poverty. Secularization of the community arose out of socio-economic necessity rather than any real adherence to secular traditions of Hinduism.

Regardless of the degree to which you accept/do not accept the proposition that Hinduization has never been stopped in India

what are the major factors whereby Hinduization has expanded and converted “despite its absence of any central organization, or any infallible scriptures etc.”, and
what are the major factors whereby Hinduization has been stopped (if at all)?

The very strength of the Hindu religion lies in its absence of having a central organization or scripture. Since there is no central authority to attack, other organized religions found it very difficult to pinpoint blame or accusations at Hinduism. The very amorphous structure gives Hinduism its vitality that has allowed it to influence and absorb religious influences from other religions and in turn ‘hinduize’ those who have come in contact with it. The diffused nature of Hinduism allows its practitioners latitude to interpret religion according to local social or political circumstances that further allowed integration of other religions. For example, local deities and religious practices combined with Brahamanical religion to become part of the overall fabric of Hinduism (Williams 331).In traditional Islam, religious teachers have varied duties and hierarchy. In India, Islamic clergy have adopted the hierarchy of the Hindu priests. Just as the Brahmins form the apex of the religious hierarchy in Hinduism, Indian Muslims have Imams who perform the same function. Just as the Brahmans interact and synthesize local religions and local gods, the Imams interact with the Pirs at the village level (Williams 335) who perform Islamic duties with their variations and interpretation of Islam. The emergence of Mahayana and Hinyana schools in Buddhism reflect the absorption of Hindu practices such as local demi-gods, cults and saints (Williams 335). During the Muslim period after 1000 AD, there have been occasional instances of Hindus following Muslims saints and vice versa (Williams 336) pointing to the Hinduization effect of the religion. Hinduization has never stopped as the flexibility afforded by no central organization or edict has allowed progressive leaders to mould the Hindu society in ways which an Islamic country cannot. To give an example, the system of untouchability has been outlawed under the Indian constitution (Wedding of the Goddess Part I & II) and has been accepted as a law by the Hindus.
Hinduization has had many stoppages in its long history. The rigid caste system of the Hindus excluded many tribes from entering its fold. While the initial four castes were not hereditary during the Vedic age, they rapidly became stratified leading to notion of superiority of the Brahmin caste and the marginalization of the lower castes. It is as a reaction to the Hindu caste system that other egalitarian religions such as Buddhism emerged. Elder observes that while Buddhism emerged in India, it gradually disappeared from the country (Elder 2). The actual reason was that because Buddhism became so popular that it evoked a Hindu backlash that forced the religion to exit the Indian Subcontinent to other regions of South East Asia and the East. The Hindu Varna system as propounded by Manu actually preached social apartheid. According to the Manu Smriti, A Brahman was forbidden from sexual conjugation from the lower castes. If a Brahmin male impregnated a Shudra female, the offspring would be a fisherman (Elder 2). Offspring of any such varna mix were stigmatized and could not hope to live happily in the society. While the age of Manu occurred in second millennium B.C, the basic precepts of Manu Smriti are still followed by a majority of Hindus in India. The effects of western culture, democracy and modernization have largely left the social practices untouched in India’s villages where the bulk of the population still resides. These dogmatic principles have been the chief reason why Hinduization has faced a number of stoppages along the way. Post independence of India, Dalits, the largest group of schedule tribes who formed the ‘untouchable’ Shudras of the society have converted to Buddhism and now have a political power base in Uttar Pradesh whose present Chief Minister is a Dalit. Yet another factor that has prevented Hinduism from spreading has been the lack of missionary zeal amongst its leaders. Unlike Christianity, Islam or even Buddhism, Hindus never sent out missionaries across the world to convert people and thus Hinduism continues to remain localized in the Indian Subcontinent unlike the other three religions that have a global presence.

Works Cited

An Indian Pilgrimage: Kashi. Dir. Wisconsin-University. n.d.

An Indian Pilgrimage: Ramdevra. Dir. Wisconsin-University. n.d.

Banaras Muharram and the Coals of Karbala. Dir. Marc Kaatz. 2003.

Being Muslin in India. n.d.

Darubramha-Wooden Lord. n.d.

Elder, Joe. Defining Hierarchies in India: India’s Caste System. n.d.

—. Layers of Teaching in the Bhagwad Gita. n.d.

Mithila Painters. n.d.

Wages of Action: Religion in a Hindu Village. Dir. BBC-TV. 1979.

Wedding of the Goddess Part I & II. n.d.

Williams, John A. “Origin and Spread of Islam.” Elder, Joseph W. Lectures in Indian Civilization. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt, 1970. 128-132.

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