Ithihasas : A Strand of Non-Elitist Historiography

Author(s)	Alan M. george
Country	India
Abstract	The ithihasa is a particular genre of literature in Sanskrit whose two prominent examples include Mahabharata and Ramayana. This article, by trying to examine the origins of the genre, aims to point out at the non-elitist roots of the same. Some important sources analyzed includes the Vedic corpus, Brahmanas, Dharmashastras to oral traditions from the 19th century Punjab, which links the epics themselves or its propagators with the lower stratum of the society. The article tries to filter out the sense of inferiority associated with the authors of the epics, the Sutas and the Kushilavas. The article also points out incest and polyandry as being evidence of the non-Aryan tradition that had survived in the Ithihasas despite the fact that the present day text had been subjected to Brahmanical redactions for centuries.
Keywords	Ithihasa, Caste, Incest, Polyandry, Suta, Kushilava
Field	Sociology > Archaeology / History
Published In	Volume 6, Issue 5, September-October 2024
Published On	2024-09-12
Cite This	Ithihasas : A Strand of Non-Elitist Historiography - Alan M. george - IJFMR Volume 6, Issue 5, September-October 2024. DOI 10.36948/ijfmr.2024.v06i05.27439
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2024.v06i05.27439
Short DOI	https://doi.org/gwfgdc

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