ABSTRACT
In contrast to Sanskritised temple rituals, the festivals of village goddesses in South India have been seen by many scholars as non-Brahminical, subaltern, and even inclusive cultural practices. The recent refusal by a section of the Dalit population in Karnataka to take part in the buffalo sacrifice and to perform their caste duties during the festivals might therefore be seen as unexpected. This chapter traces the recent Dalit self-assertion movement and their understanding of the myth of the village goddess, Maramma. In their view, Maramma is not just a furious mother with supernatural power but an angry Brahmin woman who is determined to kill her Dalit husband (after the killing, the husband's true self, a buffalo, emerges). After successfully instigating a variety of pro-Dalit activities, the Booshakti Kendra—founded by a charismatic Dalit theologian, the late M.C. Raj—gradually and strategically campaigned for the ending of sacrifice in the largest goddess temple in the region as their ultimate goal. In this process, the state, particularly the police, supported the Dalits and upheld the law which prohibits animal sacrifice in the temple premises (the Karnataka Prevention of Animal Sacrifices Act of 1959). State officials, however, remain totally secretive about their involvement. This chapter analyses the complexity of the relationship between the state, the law and Dalits.
