The Sacred in Popular Hinduism: An Empirical Study in Chirakkal, North Malabar

The Sacred in Popular Hinduism: An Empirical Study in Chirakkal, North Malabar is a sociological and theological study by A. M. Abraham Ayrookuzhiel. First published in 1983 by the Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society (CISRS), Bangalore, in association with the Christian Literature Society (CLS), the book marks an early attempt to examine Hinduism as it is lived and spoken about by ordinary people in the Chirakkal region of Kerala, rather than through classical texts or formal philosophical traditions.

A. M. A. Ayrookuzhiel, whose work spans Dalit studies and the sociology of religion, approached the subject through direct observation and field-based research. His study records how religious belief and practice operate in the everyday lives of ordinary people, drawing a clear contrast between what he terms “popular” Hinduism and the more formal, Sanskritic versions often presented as the authorised tradition.

Summary

The study is set in Chirakkal, a historic area of North Malabar, Kerala, India. This region has its own cultural character and is especially noted for Teyyam (also spelled Theyyam), the ritual performance tradition in which practitioners invoke and embody local deities.

Rather than examining major temple centres or focusing on pan-Indian gods, the book turns to a religious landscape shaped by local shrines (kavus), ancestral veneration, and non-Brahminical ritual practices. Religious life in this setting includes the worship of figures such as Bhagavati (the Mother Goddess), Gulikan, Pottan, and various deified ancestors and local heroes, alongside familiar Hindu deities like Shiva and Vishnu.

Chapters

The book is divided into eight chapters, covering different aspects of the sacred as understood and practised in Chirakkal.

I. The God-Symbols in Chirakkal
II. The Sacred as Expressed in People’s God-Talk
III. The Sacred as Conceived Through (Other) Symbols of Worship
IV. The Conception of the Sacred in Stories
V. The Conception of the Sacred in Shrines, Rituals and Festivals
VI. The Sacred in the Everyday Use of the Symbol Karma
VII. Durbādhakal — Evil Powers
VIII. Reflections

Publication History

The Sacred in Popular Hinduism: An Empirical Study in Chirakkal, North Malabar appeared in 1983 as a joint academic publication of the Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society (CISRS), Bangalore, and the Christian Literature Society (CLS), Madras. Issued as Volume 24 in the CISRS “Series on Religion”, the first edition runs to roughly 198 pages, usually described in catalogues as having an introductory section followed by the main text. Although the print edition is no longer widely available, a complete digitised version has been preserved on the Internet Archive, allowing researchers continued access to the work.

The book was designed by Venkatachalam, and the painting of Gulikan’s mask reproduced in the volume was created by K. C. Narayanan Namboodiri. The book is dedicated to the memory of the author’s parents Ayrookuzhiel Koruthu Mathen (father) and Mariamma Mathen (mother).

References

The Sacred in Popular Hinduism: An Empirical Study in Chirakkal, North Malabar book details and metadata
WorldCat bibliographic records (OCLC 10042171).
Internet Archive catalogue entry for The Sacred in Popular Hinduism: An Empirical Study in Chirakkal, North Malabar.