Process of acculturation in Hinduism: A case study of Gaya from the Vayu Purana

Abstract

This essay is an attempt to present a study of acculturation process between Brahmanical and non-brahmanical cultures in the region of Gaya that is popular among the Hindus for śrāddha, a set of death rituals especially meant for salvation of ancestors. Through the myths recorded in Gaya māhātmya, a subtext of the Vayu Purana, the continuous interaction between folk cults and sankritised cults can be observed where the folk cults are absorbed in the Puranic Hinduism. The absorption is a dynamic process, despite the sanskritisation of folk cults, negotiations between the two is so complex that the folk cults manage to maintain their strong identities in the region. The myths leave the reader to rethink and revisit on several social issues discussed in academia, such as theory of little and great tradition and issue of patriarchy.