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Sanskritisation

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	Sanskritisation may also refer to introduction of Sanskrit Sanskrit Sanskrit is a historical Indo-Aryan language, one of the liturgical languages of Hinduism and Buddhism, and one of the 22 official languages of India.... vocabulary in another language or dialect (such as Khariboli Khariboli Khariboli , , native to western Uttar Pradesh and the Delhi region in India, is the prestige dialect of the Hindi-speaking states of India, and the basis of the officially approved versions of Hindi and Urdu, which are grammatically identical to Khariboli.... ). Sanskritisation is a particular form of cultural assimilation Cultural assimilation Cultural assimilation is when an individual or individuals adopts some or all aspects of a dominant culture . Cultural assimilation is a process of socialization.... found in India India India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world.... . The term was popularized by India India India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world.... n sociologist M N Srinivas, to denote the process by which caste Caste Castes are hereditary systems of wikt:occupation, endogamy, culture, social class, and political power, the assignment of individuals to places in the social hierarchy is determined by social group and culture.... s placed lower in the caste hierarchy seek upward mobility by emulating the ritual Ritual A ritual is a set of repeated actions, often thought to have symbolic value, the performance of which is usually prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community by religious or political laws because of the perceived efficacy of those actions.... s and practices of the upper or dominant castes. It is a process similar to passing in anthropological terms. Definition Srinivas defined sanskritisation as a process by which "a 'low' or middle Hindu caste, or tribal Tribe A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .... or other group, changes its customs, ritual ideology, and way of life in the direction of a high and frequently 'twice-born' caste. Generally such changes are followed by a claim to a higher position in the caste hierarchy than that traditionally conceded to the claimant class by the local community...." One clear example of sanskritisation is the adoption, in emulation of the practice of twice-born castes, of vegetarianism Vegetarianism File:Foods.jpgVegetarianism is the practice of a diet that excludes meat , fish and poultry.There are several variants of the diet, some of which also exclude egg and/or some products produced from animal labour such as dairy products and honey.... by people belonging to the so-called "low castes" who are traditionally not averse to non-vegetarian food. According to M.N. Srinivas, Sanskritization is not just the adoption of new customs and habits, but also includes exposure to new ideas and values appearing in Sanskrit literature. He says the words Karma, dharma, papa, maya, samsara and moksha are the most common Sanskritic theological ideas which become common in the talk of people who are sanskritized. This phenomenon has also been observed in Nepal among the Khas, Newar and Magar people over the centuries. Srinivas Srinivas first propounded this theory in his D.Phil. Doctor of Philosophy Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated Ph.D. or PhD for the Latin , meaning "teacher of philosophy", is an postgraduate academic degree awarded by University.... thesis at Oxford University. The thesis was later brought out as a book titled "Religion and Society Among the Coorgs of South India." Published in 1952, the book was an ethnographical Ethnography Ethnography is a genre of writing that uses fieldwork to provide a descriptive study of human societies. Ethnography presents the results of a holism research method founded on the idea that a system's properties cannot necessarily be accurately understood independently of each other.... study of the Coorg community of Karnataka Karnataka Karnataka is a States and territories of India in the southern part of India. It was Unification of Karnataka on November 1, 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act.... , India India India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world.... . Srinivas writes in the book: "The caste system is far from a rigid system in which the position of each component caste is fixed for all time. Movement has always been possible, and especially in the middle regions of the hierarchy. A caste was able, in a generation or two, to rise to a higher position in the hierarchy by adopting vegetarianism and teetotalism, and by Sanskritizing its ritual and pantheon. In short, it took over, as far as possible, the customs, rites, and beliefs of the Brahmins, and adoption of the Brahminic way of life by a low caste seems to have been frequent, though theoretically forbidden. This process has been called 'Sanskritization' in this book, in preference to 'Brahminizzation', as certain Vedic rites are confined to the Brahmins and the two other 'twice-born' castes." The book challenged the then prevalent idea that caste was a rigid and unchanging institution. The concept of sanskritization addressed the actual complexity and fluidity of caste relations. It brought into academic focus the dynamics of the renegotiation of status by individuals from various castes and communities in India. See also History of Hinduism History of Hinduism Hinduism is a term, for a wide variety of related Hindu denominations native to Indian subcontinent. Historically, it encompasses the development of Religion in India since the Iron Age India traditions, which in turn hark back to prehistoric religions such as that of the Bronze Age Indus Valley Civilization followed by the Historical Vedic r... Indianized kingdom Indianized kingdom The concept of the Indianized kingdom, first described by George Coed?s, is based upon the Hindu and Buddhist cultural and economic influences in Southeast Asia.... Hinduism in Southeast Asia Hinduism in Southeast Asia Hinduism in Southeast Asia influenced the former Champa civilization in History of Vietnam, Funan in Cambodia, the Khmer Empire in Indochina, the Srivijayan kingdom on Sumatra, the Singhasari kingdom and the Majapahit Empire based in Java , Bali, and the History of the Philippines archipelago.... Indian cultural sphere External links