Alternative Discourses of Kali Yuga in Ayy? Vaļi
This paper explores the centrality of the notion of the Kali Yuga in a contemporary "Hindu" religious phenomenon called Ayy? Vaļi (henceforth, AV), which is spread primarily among the C?ņ?rs (N?ţ?rs) in the southern districts of Tamilnadu (especially in Kanyakumari District). The key figur...
| Published in: | Nidān |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Univ.
2014
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| In: |
Nidān
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| Further subjects: | B
Subaltern counter narrative
B Ayya Vali B Hinduism B Kali Yuga |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | This paper explores the centrality of the notion of the Kali Yuga in a contemporary "Hindu" religious phenomenon called Ayy? Vaļi (henceforth, AV), which is spread primarily among the C?ņ?rs (N?ţ?rs) in the southern districts of Tamilnadu (especially in Kanyakumari District). The key figure in the AV movement is its founder, Ayya Vaikundar, who was born in 1809 in the erstwhile princely state of Travancore. This state was described as a "Hindu state par excellence," as it was ruled according to the ideology of varnashramadharma (Hindu social system of class and stages of life), and as a result, the low-caste C?ņ?rs experienced multiple forms of discrimination, exploitation, and oppression (Patrick 2003: 23-60). Vaikundar described this period as the Kali Yuga and identified the king of Southern Travancore as Kalineecan (a personification of the principle of evil) and an avat?r (incarnation) of the mythical figure Kroni. For Vaikundar, the reign of Kalineecan was a clear sign of the prevalence of an evil force called kalim?iyai (an illusory power of evil) in the state of Travancore. This article focuses on how AV seeks to identify the presence of kali (evil) in this world, equates it with caste discrimination, injustice and exploitation of the poor and the lowly, and attempts to launch a decisive battle against it, thereby creating an alternative discourse to the Kali Yuga theory outlined in Sanskritic Hinduism. AV's alternative to Kali Yuga discourse and its introduction of the novel idea of the Dharma Yuga can be construed as a subaltern resolution of the "inner conflict" of Hindu tradition (Heesterman 1985: 10-25). As such, the principles of modernity are seen to be coterminous with the defining characteristics of the Dharma Yuga, AV's emancipatory utopia. This essay is based on the material taken from Akilatiraţţu (AV's sacred scripture, henceforth AT), and its recent commentaries, as well as the writings of and interviews with some of AV's followers. |
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| ISSN: | 2414-8636 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Nidān
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.58125/nidan.2014.1 |