Two Mother Goddess Ceremonies of Delhi State in the Great and Little Traditions

Abstract

H INDUISM is a diverse religion, even as practiced in a limited area of the the subcontinent ofIndia, Delhi State. Some of the gods of a village, a caste, or a family may not be accepted by other villages, castes, or families; many festivals are not observed by all villages of a region, by all castes of a village, or by all families of a caste; and the rites used in similar ceremonies may vary from village to village, caste to caste, and family to family. Despite the diversity of Hinduism, it possesses an underlying unity. A small number of basic principles provides philosophical justification for the variety of practices, often making seeming incompatibles compatible.2 Two concepts which have been useful in dealing with the diversity of Hindu religious practices are the great and little traditions. Historically, the little tradition precedes the great tradition. The great tradition grows out of the little tradition through the efforts of a class of literati, usually living in cities, which elaborates the little tradition and composes a sacred literature." The little tradition is not terminated by the establishment ofa great tradition but is maintained by it, occasionally contributing to the great tradition and in turn receiving and reinterpreting materials from it. The great tradition flourishes through the teachings of religious pecialists primarily in cities but diffuses over the countryside and is found in all villages; and the little tradition is found in urban centers as well as villages, most prominently among the less educated people.4 The result is that the great tradition and the little tradition are closely intertwined; a single ceremony practiced in a village may contain elements of both."