Identities in Hybridity: Jasnath Sampraday of the Bikaner Region and Ismailism in Rajasthan

Abstract

The objective of the article is to look at the formation of identities, as their cultural forms and practices grew with multiple and diverse tendencies. This led to the occurrence of different trends of thought that were seen to bring together different traditions. These came with their own string of tensions and accommodations. This becomes important as we understand a region’s history and culture. These multiple cultural tendencies and communities can be looked at in terms of cultural categories and, therefore, the concept of a ‘cultural fault line’ between the two religious communities. These could also be looked at as processes of ‘exchange’ ‘sharing’ ‘borrowing’ or processes connected to liminality and ‘liminal’ traditions, as has been noted by scholars. One such community is the Jasnathi Sampraday, which belonged to the remote region of the Thar Desert. Guru Jasnath, the founder of the Jasnath Sampraday, belonged to the peasant community of the Jat cultivators. The article looks at the hagiography, the devotional literature, the teachings that emphasised environmental concerns and the practice of Ratri Jagran (night vigil), whereby the Jasnathi Siddhs explain the Jasnath banis to their followers of the Jasnathi Sampraday.