Ghori: an echo of deity and the Ethos of Kaliabor Region of Assam



Saswati Bordoloi(1*),

(1) Dept. of Folklore Research, Gauhati University
(*) Corresponding Author

Abstract


Temples are regarded as the most sacred place among all the artefacts. The temple in India is originated as a place of cult centre or a place of worship. Temples are represented as a social organisation and a centre for economic and cultural activities. ‘Shakti-DhamKamakhya temple of Assam, India has a glorious place in the religious field. Possession in Assam is a powerful kind of performance exists in many ways. ‘Ghori’ or ‘Goxani Utha’ is one kind of powerful performance has occurred in the Kamakhya temple of Silghat, Assam. This paper discusses aspects of spirit possession in relation to a particular festival celebrated annually in Kamakhya temple of Silghat, and the social ethos and folk beliefs of Kaliabor region and its impacts on society as well.


Keywords


Ghori; Goxani Utha; Kamakhya temple; Kaliabor; Folk

Full Text:

PDF

References


Bhushan, Chandra. Assam: Its Heritage and Culture. Gyan Publishing House, 2005.

Burley, Mikel. “Dance of the Deodhās: Divine Possession, Blood Sacrifice and the Grotesque Body in Assamese Goddess Worship.” Religions of South Asia, vol. 12, no. 2, Apr. 2019, pp. 207–33, https://doi.org/10.1558/rosa.36287.

Hafstein, Valdimar Tr. “Intangible Heritage as a Festival; or, Folklorization Revisited .” Journal of American Folklore, vol. 131, no. 520, 2018, pp. 127–49, muse.jhu.edu/article/691715.

Honko, Lauri. “Memorates and the Study of Folk Beliefs.” Journal of the Folklore Institute, vol. 1, no. 1/2, 1964, p. 5, https://doi.org/10.2307/3814027.

Sever, Mustafa. “Religion and Folk Beliefs.” Journal of World of Turks, vol. 3, no. 1, Apr. 2011.

Sharma, Navamallika, and Madhusree Das. “Priests and Practices: Understanding the Socio-Religious Scenario of Kamakhya Temple.” Clarion: International Multidisciplinary Journal, vol. 4, no. 1, 2015.

Stoeltje, Beverly J. “Festival.” Folklore, Cultural Performances, and Popular Entertainments, 1992, pp. 261–71.

Urban, Hugh B. “Dancing for the Snake: Possession, Gender, and Identity in the Worship of Manasā in Assam.” The Journal of Hindu Studies, vol. 11, no. 3, Nov. 2018, pp. 304–27, https://doi.org/10.1093/jhs/hiy011.

Valk, Ülo. “Shrines, Stones, and Memories: The Entangled Storyworld of a Goddess Temple in Assam.” South Asian History and Culture, vol. 8, no. 4, Oct. 2017, pp. 508–22, https://doi.org/10.1080/19472498.2017.1371503.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.30998/cs.v3i2.976

Article Metrics

Abstract Views : 224 | PDF Views : 605

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2022 Saswati Bordoloi

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.


Editorial Office:
Institute for Research and Community services (LPPM)
Universitas Indraprasta PGRI

Address: Campus A Building 3, 2nd Floor | Jl. Nangka No. 58 C (TB. Simatupang), Kel. Tanjung Barat, Kec. Jagakarsa, Jakarta Selatan 12530, Jakarta, Indonesia.Jl. Nangka No. 58 C (TB. Simatupang), Kel. Tanjung Barat, Kec. Jagakarsa, Jakarta Selatan 12530
Phone: (021) 7818718 – 78835283 ext. 123 | Close in sunday and public holidays in Indonesia
Work Hour: 09.00 AM – 08.00 PM



Creative Commons License

Cultural Syndrome is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.