ABOUT THE PRESENTATION

Social mobility approaches in India often emphasize religious conversion, Sanskritization, and ideology, overlooking the importance of practical tactics among Dalits and ‘lower’ castes. These models also neglect stories of upward mobility within Hinduism driven by devotional frameworks and rooted in material progress. In this context, this paper will discuss how the Billava community in South India harnessed temple-centered Hindu practices to foster community solidarity, build institutions, and pursue social mobility. The Billava community, primarily located in Karnataka and Kerala, numbers around 7 million people. Traditionally, many Billavas worked in various occupations such as woodcutting, small-scale trading, Ayurvedic healing, and tenant farming. However, a significant portion of the caste was involved in the ‘low’-status job of tending coconut palms, stigmatizing them as toddy-tappers and ‘untouchables’ by ‘higher’ castes. Facing economic and political marginalization in the early 19th century, the Billavas sought social mobility to counter socio-economic discrimination and several caste restrictions, such as entering the Brahminical temples. To challenge the caste system and gain access to temples, the Billavas turned to the teachings of Sri Narayana Guru (SNG/1856-1928), a Vedanta philosopher and saint from the ‘low’ caste Ezhava community in Kerala. SNG initiated social reforms by consecrating Hindu temples as open to all castes across Kerala and Karnataka. In 1909, he consecrated a Shiva temple in Kudroli, Mangalore, specifically for the Billavas and other ‘lower’ castes in the city. This temple has since grown into a significant religious center, linking with smaller SNG temples in the region. SNG’s teachings emphasized three key elements: vidya (education), udyog (employment), and sampark (connectivity/unity). Billava leaders have embraced these teachings, establishing educational institutions, community groups, hospitals, and charity organizations near SNG temples to support community upliftment. This paper will discuss how these efforts complicate prevailing social mobility models, showcasing the transformative role of religious and non-religious institutions influenced by the vision of a guru.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Mukesh Kumar is an SNSF senior fellow and lecturer at the Asian and Orient Institute of the University of Zurich. His research interests lie at the intersection of history and anthropology, focusing on socio-cultural, economic and religious encounters between various religious traditions in South Asia. Dr. Kumar received his PhD from the University of Technology in Sydney in 2019. Following PhD, his research projects have been supported by prestigious grants and fellowships, including those from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (2019-21), ETH Zurich Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (2021-23), and the Swiss National Science Foundation (2024-28). 

His first book, Between Muslim Pīr and Hindu Saint: Laldas and the Devotional Culture in North India (2024), has been published by Cambridge University Press. In addition to a co-edited volume on the Basel Mission, which is under contract with Leiden University Press, Dr. Kumar is currently working on two monographs: one addressing issues of caste, religion, and social mobility among the Billavas, and another focusing on urban religion, specifically the religious order of Sant Rampal in Delhi.

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Sponsor(s): Center for India and South Asia, The Sambhi Chair in Indian Music