Subaltern Sovereigns

The vast and ancient topic of kingship in India has mostly been studied from the perspectives of rulers and other elites. But what constitutes sovereignty viewed from "below"? This book, ethnographic and comparative in its core, deals with indigenous conceptualizations of sovereignty in highland Odisha. It takes as its vantage point a local proverb that connects the Dasara festival of the king with signature rituals celebrated by his "tribal" subjects, performances that are described and analyzed in detail. Ultimately, the proverb, the rituals and related oral traditions embody the idea of a sacrificial polity in which rulers and ruled share sovereignty in the sense that they are co-responsible for the flow of life.