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The Phenomenon of Possession and Exorcism in North India View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Wolverhampton Intellectual Repository and E-theses THE PHENOMENON OF POSSESSION AND EXORCISM IN NORTH INDIA AND AMONGST THE PUNJABI DIASPORA IN WOLVERHAMPTON SANDEEP SINGH CHOHAN BA (HONS) A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Wolverhampton for the degree of Master of Philosophy August 2008 This work or any part thereof has not previously been presented in any form to the University or to any other body whether for the purposes of assessment, publication or for any other purpose (unless otherwise indicated). Save for any express acknowledgments, references and/or bibliographies cited in the work, I confirm that the intellectual content of the work is the result of my own efforts and of no other person. The right of Sandeep Singh Chohan to be identified as author of this work is asserted in accordance with ss.77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. At this date copyright is owned by the author. Signature……………………………………….. Date…………………………………………….. Abstract The Phenomenon of Possession and Exorcism in north India and amongst the Punjabi diaspora in Wolverhampton. Based upon two years fieldwork in Wolverhampton and Coventry, and several field trips to Punjab, this thesis focuses on the prevalence of possession and exorcism as a manifestation of Punjabi religion amongst the Punjabi diaspora in Wolverhampton. Euro-centric scholarship and reform movements in the 1900s, in India, suppressed religious traditions that did not conform to the textual and institutionalised forms of religion. This thesis proposes that the phenomenon of possession and exorcism observed amongst the Punjabi diaspora in Wolverhampton is in no way novel, rather it is a diasporic reconstruction of a vital tradition found within the religious traditions from the Punjab, and on a larger scale in the Indian sub-continent. Furthermore the Punjabi diaspora in Wolverhampton are in no way unique in the re- construction of this religious tradition in Britain. Various forms of supernatural malaise are prevalent amongst the Punjabi diaspora in Wolverhampton that are utilised by the community to explain the inexplicable diversities they face in daily life. These supernatural afflictions provide the Punjabi diaspora with a useful method of accepting adversity but also various methods to tackle it through the assistance of a baba or bhagat. This thesis explores the underlying cosmological discourses prevalent in the worldview of north Indian religious traditions in an attempt to analyse a relatively untouched phenomenon of religious beliefs and practices of the Punjabi diaspora in Wolverhampton. 2 Contents Introduction 4-15 Chapter One The South Asian diaspora in Britain and the Punjabi diaspora in Wolverhampton 16-30 Chapter Two Punjabi Religion in Wolverhampton 31-82 Chapter Three Supernatural affliction and Exorcism in the Punjabi Diaspora in Wolverhampton 83-112 Chapter Four Key discourses in Punjabi Religion 113-144 Chapter Five Analysing Possession and Exorcism 145-157 Chapter Six Popular Religion 158-182 Chapter Seven Conclusion 183-188 Bibliography 189-203 3 The Phenomenon of possession and exorcism in North India and amongst the Punjabi diaspora in Wolverhampton. Introduction The phenomenon of possession and exorcism and its practice in the Indian sub- continent is well developed in academic study, however the presence of this phenomenon is woefully neglected in the academic study of religious communities in the United Kingdom. To my knowledge this is the first study that has attempted to study diaspora communities in Britain which profess a belief in supernatural possession and the healing benefits of exorcism as a remedy to this phenomenon. The communities that I have worked with have been in existence for approximately 15 years as established religious centres for healing supernatural possession. However belief in such phenomenon has been present within the diaspora communities since the re-institution of the family networks in the 1960s. Yet there is not a single study of these beliefs or practices in the academic study of diaspora communities in Britain. This study begins to fill this gap by answering the primary research questions. How has the phenomenon of possession and exorcism developed amongst the Punjabi diaspora in Wolverhampton? How and why is this aspect of Punjabi religion so important to the Punjabi diaspora and furthermore to the academic study of religious communities in Britain. This thesis proposes that the phenomenon of possession and exorcism observed amongst the Punjabi diaspora in Wolverhampton is in no way novel, rather it is a diasporic reconstruction of a vital tradition found within the religious traditions from the Punjab, and on a larger scale in the Indian sub-continent. Furthermore the Punjabi diaspora in Wolverhampton are in no way unique in the re- construction of this religious tradition in Britain. If one were to study any substantial diaspora community I would assert that there would most certainly be an established baba adept in the phenomenon of diagnosing supernatural possession and in the practice of exorcism who would be able to assist the afflicted and their families. However, although these aspects of religion are not unique or isolated to the Punjab or to the diaspora in Wolverhampton, the 4 marginalising of these phenomenon has eroded their importance within academic study but also amongst members of the diaspora community. The thesis states that this is a result of firstly, the continuation of the euro-centric scholarship which has plagued the study of religions. This trend has been further solidified by the Hindu reformation and Singh Sabha movements which sought to eradicate erroneous beliefs and practices which were not found within the religious scriptures of the two traditions. Secondly within the diaspora communities the affects of migration and later the re-institution of religious centres of worship strictly based on constructed religious boundaries advanced the subjugation of other religious phenomenon abundant within the Punjab and the larger Indian sub continent. Utilising Ballard’s four dimensional approach to Punjabi religion this study will provide a detailed account of Punjabi religion amongst the Punjabi diaspora and the importance of these religious traditions for the diaspora community. The dimensions of ‘Panth, Kismet Dharm te Qaum’ are concerned with inspirational leadership, unfortunate incidents explained as fate or the work of the supernatural, the divine laws and the process of constructing a community respectively. Applying Ballard’s four dimensional approach to Punjabi religions amongst the Punjabi diaspora in Wolverhampton provides a unique analytical framework within which the data gathered amongst the Punjabi diaspora can be analysed. The interaction between the more rigid dimensions of dharm and qaum, and the dimensions of panth and kismet which are the focus of the study provides a unique manner in which to analyse and decipher a more accurate picture of the true religious landscape and sentiment of the Punjabi diaspora in Wolverhampton. Preliminary analysis has shown that the dharmic and qaumic sentiments of the initial diaspora communities were accelerated by the hostilities and difficulties of migration, settlement and raising children in an alien country. In establishing places of worship for the new communities the dharmic and eventually the qaumic dimensions of religion were expounded as the only way in which religion could be perceived and practised. The panthic and kismetic dimensions were initially almost wholly neglected by the diaspora community, apart from certain beliefs which were maintained by all within their homes. For example the restriction of washing ones hair on certain days is an example of a 5 simple form of kismetic religion found amongst the Punjabi diaspora which is not part of the dharmic dimension, but was nevertheless adhered to amongst the Punjabi diaspora. Hence the study of diaspora communities in Britain were provided with a picture of religious belief and practice within this country which was developed by the diaspora community but also as a continuation of the religious boundaries which were erected by earlier euro-centric scholarship and the reformation movements in the Indian sub-continent. This thesis proposes that the development of the panthic and kismetic dimensions of religion amongst the diaspora community was caused by a growing need to address unfortunate incidents that are readily explained in the Punjab as the work of a supernatural agent or malaise. Amongst the Punjabi diaspora in Wolverhampton religion was wholly constructed around the dimensions of dharm. The political and religious turmoil in the Punjab during the 1980s re- enforced the qaumic dimension of religion amongst the Punjabi diaspora. The concept of panth was sporadically experienced in Wolverhampton with Sants and babas visiting the area on religious tours for a few weeks at a time. The dimension of kismet was focussed within minor rituals and beliefs observed in the homes of the diaspora community. There are two reasons for the growth of kismetic and the permanence of the panthic dimensions of Punjabi religion amongst the Punjabi diaspora in Wolverhampton. First and foremost the Punjabi diaspora having established their religious institutions focussed on the dimensions of dharm and qaum had grown in confidence to develop
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