Significance of brata rituals in the life of the married women in rural bengal significance of brata rituals in the life of the married women in rural bengal

Abstract

Brata is an age-old religious ritual practiced by women of West Bengal. It has its roots in the totemic cults of the aboriginals of this land. Brata finds reverberation in the identity that it ascribes to women as being the Su-Grihini and care- giver of her family. In the present day, community jubilations buttressed by the perception of Dharma provides legitimacy to Brata that makes it an omnipresent ritual. In this paper, I attempt to underscore an anthropological and cultural perspective of Brata and understand its significance in the religious life of married women in rural Bengal.