RITUAL AS PERFORMANCE: A PERFORMATIVE STUDY OF UMPHA PUJA AMONG THE MOHAN-DEODHAI-BAILUNG COMMUNITIES OF ASSAM
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v7.i12s.2026.8156Keywords:
Umpha Puja, Ritual Performance, Mohan-Deodhai-Bailung, Tai-Ahom; Shal, Mulung, Cultural Memory, AssamAbstract [English]
This article studies Umpha Puja (offering/worship to heavenly and natural deities for collective welfare) among the Mohan-Deodhai-Bailung communities of Assam as a ritual performance. It asks how a sacred ceremony creates meaning through space, body, voice, objects, offerings, and collective participation. The study follows a qualitative performance analysis method and uses field observation, oral information, ritual photographs, Tai-Ahom cultural sources and selected public online documentation as supplementary material. The theoretical frame draws mainly on Richard Schechner, Victor Turner, Catherine Bell, Roy A. Rappaport, and Jan Assmann. The paper argues that Umpha Puja is a living form of restored ritual behaviour. Its three shal (ritual altar/space) - Bordeo Shal (main/higher divine altar), Hindu Shal (altar for local and Hindu-related deities) and Habideo Shal (altar for boundary, forest and protective powers) - create a visible ritual map where heaven, society, and nature are placed in relation. The Mulung (ritual priest-specialist) and Deori (shrine functionary/ritual assistant) do not merely conduct the ritual; they perform sacred memory through chant, gesture, discipline, and interpretation. The article concludes that Umpha Puja preserves Tai-Ahom cultural memory while also renewing community ties in the present.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Mrinal Jyoti Goswami, Nakul Phukan
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