Purifying Humanity: Epistemic Redefinitions of Ritual Bathing from Snan Melas to Global Experiences

Abstract (English)

Humans navigate change in many ways—often mediating the perceived dangers inherent to change through rituals balancing pollution and purity. Bathing ritual are a typical exemplar of purifying humanity, braiding multiple sacred layers of purification: spiritual, moral, embodied. Yet, bathing ritual also interrogate questions of the dimensions of deeper purities involving the mundane and profane: hydrological, economic, hierarchical. This roundtable addresses the interconnected sociopolitical, environmental, and technological dimensions in India's Snan Mela rituals. It charts the international scope of participation in India's prominent bathing ritual while situating these ritual in the broader context of pluralized global purifications. These dynamic interconnected systems ultimately symbolize more than washing bodies; they represent individual to systemic agencies increasingly more important in our rapidly transforming world.