Ritual in the Life Cycle

Every major event in the human life cycle is marked by ritual: from birth to death and beyond there are observations for the devout Bengali in Bishnupur.  As is in the case of other celebrations the performance of rituals do not mandate a stance of belief or faith.  Practice itself, not piety,  is central to efficacious life cycle observances.  Birth rituals begin with conception and there are regular observances throughout pregnancy.  Birth (just as death) entails pollution and a period of liminality when mother and child (just as the soul of the departed) are in danger.  Growing up is likewise marked by ritual, notably the first rice ceremony (anno proshan) when a baby is fed cooked rice by his/her mother's brother (mama).  All life cycle rites are linked together: right in the middle of a wedding a brief sraddha ceremony is held, inviting the ancestors to witness the creation of a new descent line (bongsa).  Boys of the twice born castes are invested with the sacred thread (poita) at a special ceremony (upanayan). But many townspeople profess that sraddha best sums up > the Hindu way of life: sacred and eternal (sanatan dharma).  The symbols beliefs and rituals surrounding bodily death and the regeneration of the soul call on core aspects of theology and practice going back  thousands of years.