Essay on the Role of Religion in the Maintenance of Social Solidarity among the Coorgs.
That religion is seen as strengthening solidarity in society. According to Durkheim, religion itself is a product of the collective sentiment. Aroused by the collective performance of rituals. This view was criticized by many scholars as being unsatisfactory in its explanation of the origin of religion. But Durkheim an understanding of religion via Radcliffe-Brown left a deep impact on M.N. Srinivas’ study of religion among the Coorg.
The Coorg are the inhabitants of the mountainous district of Coorg, in Karnataka. M.N. Srinivas, a pioneer Indian sociologist, conducted this study in the early 1940s. Srinivas closely observed the social life of the Coorg, particularly their religious beliefs and practices. He argued that religious rituals and beliefs strengthen unity in the Coorg society at various levels. For a Coorg Hindu, there are three important social institutions.
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They are the okka, the village and the caste. Almost all Coorg are members of one or the other okka. Okka is a patrilineal group. The village is a cluster of several okka and within the village-there are a number of hierarchically arranged caste groups. Religion performs specific functions for these three social institutions.
Most important function of all is the solidarity function. Each okka has a special set of rituals which are performed during festival and other ceremonial occasion. In the same way, village celebrate the festival of their patron deity and perform certain rituals. The village festival mark the differences between castes but also bring them together. At the same time, they bring together several Coorg villages.
(1) Solidarity of the Okka:
Okka is a patrilineal grouping. According to Srinivas an okka is “A group of genetically related males who descended from a common ancestor and their wives and children”. Only by birth one can become a member of the okka.
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Each okka has ancestral immovable property which is normally undivided. A person is prohibited from marrying within the okka. Members of the okka live and grow together. They perform many Rituals in unison, especially the Rituals to propitiate the ancestors of the Okka. There are several occasions when, “the unity and solidarity of an Okka find expression in Ritual”. The marriage is such an occasion. A Coorg marriage involves two important rites:
(i) Murtha
(ii) Sammanda rites.
(i) Murtha:
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Murtha is nothing but an auspicious occasion (time). The Murtha is also indicated by rites which are performed by all relatives to the subject, groom or bride.
In a Coorg marriage the Murtha, is performed on the most auspicious day and time. At the centre of Murtha rite lies the offering by the relatives to the bride or groom in a special type of vessel named kindi. If the mother of the groom or bride is not widowed, she is the first person to offer milk. After performing elaborate Murtha rite thrice, comes the sammanda Ritual. The first two Murtha rites bring at one place the groom/bride and his/her kindred. The third murtha rite brings the groom and bride’s kindred together to participate in marriage Rituals.
(ii) Sammanda:
The Sammanda Ritual marks the transfer of an individual from one okka to another. After marriage, the bride leaves her native okka and acquires the membership of her husband’s Okka. In case, she becomes a widow, again a sammanda Ritual may be performed and her membership is transferred back to the native okka. The sammanda Ritual comprises an elaborate system of rites.
(2) Village and Caste Solidarity:
The social differences in the village community find expression during village festivals. The reason is, it is the time when members of different castes serve different functions. Simultaneously, the unity between okka, castes and villages also is expressed through Religious customs and Rituals.
During the harvest festival, every okka in the village sends all the adult males for participating in the collective dances. When the festivals of the village deities come to an end, there is a collective hunt. The okka send their adult males to it. The collective dance and hunt canalize the inter-okka rivalry present in the village, and thus prevent the destruction of social order. The festival of village deity commences when the villages take a vow collectively to observe certain restrictions till the end of festival e.g. prohibition of today drinking and slaughter of animals within the village boundary.
The prescriptions consist of keeping the houses clean, lighting the sacred wall-lamp of the house, and joining the singing and dancing. When the village festival is over, there is a dinner called urorme or village harmony for the whole village. In fact village solidarity requires the frequent meeting of members of a village Society and also dealing with occasions of Stress, tension, and trauma.