Research Associate (Cultural), Anthropological Survey of India, Sub-Regional Centre, Jagdalpur-494001, Chhattisgarh, India
Death rites and rituals are very important and integral to many tribal communities of India. They construct memorial pillars in order to honour their dead and ancestors and to preserve their memory. These memorial pillars are not only for worldly memory, but they also play a very important role in the afterlife of the deceased. This tradition is prevalent among the Muria and Madia tribals of Bastar in Chhattisgarh. The centuries-old tradition has undergone many changes over time, but it has so far been successful in maintaining its existence. Verrier Elvin and other scholars have mentioned this practice in Dandami Madia of Bastar. By the beginning of the 20th century, most of these people used to establish an edifice as a memorial to the deceased.
Death, Muria, Madia, Dandami, Memorial Pillar Tradition, Bastar Tribals, Chhattisgarh
