HINDUISATION OF FOLK DEITIES AND EMERGENCE OF HINDU REVIVALISM

A slow and gradual change has been taking place amid the traditional practices in the religious sphere in India in recent years. With the increased consciousness vis-a-vis a religious identity these have led to significant changes in the nature of traditional practices of worship. The quiet Sanskritisation of deities of folk tradition, a kind of revivalism, has brought significant changes to traditional patterns of worship. This article examines the nature of this process of Sanskritisation and assesses its impact on traditional society as well as the acceptance and recognition of this change among both the revivalist and the conservatives. The study draws from fieldwork conducted in the state of Tamil Nadu to discern the changes taking place in pattern of worship.