Why do backward castes need their own gurus? The social and political significance of new caste-based monasteries in Karnataka

Jati matha, as people of Karnataka call it, is a monastery that culturally and religiously represents a specific caste or sub-caste group, most of which are non-Brahmin, backward castes. From the Kuruba (shepherd caste, the largest amongst other backward classes) to Dalits (former untouchables) and Adivasis (tribals), the number of such caste-mathas is believed to be more than 100 in the state. This phenomenon presents interesting but problematic issues for conventional understandings of religious leadership and renunciation that regarded renunciation as a negation of the caste system. How can a renouncer represent a caste to which he/she belongs at the same time as claiming religious authority? It also reveals dynamic relationships between religion and politics in post-Mandal India. Is this a demand for spiritual reservation? While more backward class renouncers are receiving initiations, the distribution of resources through such caste-matha has become a tactic for the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled state government to consolidate their support bases. The paper examines the complex negotiations and politics behind the emerging caste-mathas of Karnataka.