Transformation of the Deities: Temples, Caste and Identity in Goa

Abstract

This article analyses the history of village deities in Goa from premodern times in order to understand the interactions between received traditions, the temple and the colonial state with regard to rights over temples and ownership of temple assets. More specifically, it looks at these developments to understand the actual relationship between temples and articulations of caste identities, and the claims over them. Ultimately, rights over temples became the basis for the temple statutes, and a version of an acceptable suitable past with the colonial state mediating negotiations and the establishment of claims.