Shared Worship to Segregated Rituals: Boycott of Dalits by Caste Panchayat in Anthravalli, Karnataka
ISSN
2349-8846
Date Issued
2025-11
Author(s)
Sivamanithan, S
Abraham, Mary Sadhana
Abstract
Once known for its communal harmony and joint participation, the Pattaladamma deity festival has become a site of
caste-based exclusion orchestrated by the caste panchayat in a village in Karnataka. The field observations show how informal caste governance, through structures like the nyaya panchayat, overrides constitutional values and fosters structural untouchability under the guise of tradition. This article argues that ritual exclusion is not an isolated cultural aberration but a deliberate assertion of caste hierarchy that demands urgent legal and constitutional interventions.
caste-based exclusion orchestrated by the caste panchayat in a village in Karnataka. The field observations show how informal caste governance, through structures like the nyaya panchayat, overrides constitutional values and fosters structural untouchability under the guise of tradition. This article argues that ritual exclusion is not an isolated cultural aberration but a deliberate assertion of caste hierarchy that demands urgent legal and constitutional interventions.