The blessing pot. Continuity and changes in pottery and pilgrimage practices

Abstract

Abstract

Kamleshwor has decade long experience of pot making. He has endowed this skills by his father through which he has manage to run his big family. He is also a great devote of God Shiva and participating pilgrimage every year. Degrading demand of his pot in the market and increasing expenses to participate in pilgrimage left Kamleshwor in dilemma. Most of his community friends has already been switch their traditional job and started new business. But it’s been difficult for my informant to cope with the situation. In order to understand the continuity and changes in my informant´s profession and pilgrimage, I have borrowed ritual theory and anthropology of pilgrimage. In current context, Kamleshwor´s pot has lost its rituals value that once had good demand in Hindu rituals but now it restricted as house utilities. Going to pilgrimage becoming expensive for kamleshwor but his strong faith on Shiva, he cannot avoid the journey. Holy sites turn out to be local market which once was provided free service of food and lodging for the pilgrimage. Although, the transformation in Kamleshwor´s profession and religious life is not in his favor but his memory and emotion in his work and his faith further fueled him to continue the practices.