Conversion and Spirit Possession in 19th-Century Bombay Presidency
Deepra Dandekar
Social Sciences and Missions December 18, 2024 DOI: 10.1163/18748945-bja10107 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that Baba Padmanji Mulay's conversion to Christianity in Bombay Presidency took place amid competing missionary, reformist, and conservative Hindu pressures that placed early converts in crisis, and that his writings on women's emancipation and his autobiographical spirit possession anecdote demonstrate an Indian Christian effort to refashion community identity as masculine and chivalrous. |
Abstract
Abstract Baba Padmanji Mulay’s (1831–1906) conversion to Christianity in Bombay Presidency is located in an evolving intellectual domain of confrontation between missionaries, reformers, and conservatives. This competitive atmosphere placed early converts in a state of crisis, squeezing them between British missionaries and Marathi, mostly upper-caste Hindus. Given this context, Padmanji’s rise to eminence is reflected in his ideological writings on women’s emancipation, and in his autobiographical encounter with spirit possession. This article reads Padmanji’s ideology and spirit possession anecdote as a demonstration of the Indian Christian predicament that saw a move to refashion community identity as masculine and chivalrous.