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Sanskritisation

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Sanskritisation

Sanskritisation (or Sanskritization) is a process through which individuals or communities belonging to certain castes and tribal groups adopt the culture, values, lifestyles, and ritual practices of the dominant upper castes, with the aim of attaining upward social mobility and an elevated social status within the hierarchical structure of caste system of India. The phenomenon bears resemblance to the sociological concept of "passing". The term Sanskritisation was popularised in the 1950s by Indian sociologist and anthropologist M. N. Srinivas.

Sanskritisation has in particular been observed among mid-ranked members within caste hierarchy. It is considered an aspect of the wider historical and cultural process of Brahmanisation, which is the assimilation or alignment of local and regional Indian religious traditions with Brahmanism, leading to the Hindu synthesis and the formation of Hinduism, through a syncretic blending of diverse beliefs and customs into the Brahmanical fold.

Srinivas defined Sanskritisation as a process by which

a low or middle Hindu caste, or tribal 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..."

In a broader sense, Sanskritisation is

the process whereby local or regional forms of culture and religion – local deities, rituals, literary genres – become identified with the great tradition of Sanskrit literature and culture: namely the culture and religion of orthodox, Aryan, Brahmans, which accepts the Veda as revelation and, generally, adheres to varrṇāśrama-dharma.

In this process, local traditions (little traditions) become integrated into the great tradition of Brahmanical religion, disseminating Sanskrit texts and Brahmanical ideas throughout India, and abroad. This facilitated the development of the Hindu synthesis, in which the Brahmanical tradition absorbed local popular traditions of ritual and ideology.

According to Srinivas, Sanskritisation 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 Sanskrit theological ideas which become common in the talk of people who are sanskritised.

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