Abstract:This article, partly based on fi eldwork with the Saibaba Sansthan of Shirdi, examines the complex interplay of syncretism, pilgrimage and associated Hinduisation which contributes to the contemporary countenance of the Sansthan, its recreation and recasting of Saibaba memories and the transposing of Shirdi social geographies. Through syncretism and pilgrimage, eventually usurped by the dominant Hindu majoritarian lens, Saibaba devotionalism complements the contemporary theoretical work on 'lived religion'. Th… Show more
“…Like anna-daan, the Sansthan had been mindful of the necessity of rituals for devotees to express their devotion to Sai Baba, and it has promoted them (Pandya 2014). Rituals are now the mainstay of the pilgrimage economy.…”
“…Like anna-daan, the Sansthan had been mindful of the necessity of rituals for devotees to express their devotion to Sai Baba, and it has promoted them (Pandya 2014). Rituals are now the mainstay of the pilgrimage economy.…”
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