Sanatani Woman Saint Tradition

Sociological Study of Tradition, Change and Social Acceptance in Indian Society

Abstract

The present paper analyses the changing role, social acceptance, and ascension to institutional authority of women in religious institutions within Indian society, which is fundamentally a religious society, from a sociological perspective. Women have traditionally been confined to ritual-bound, gender-stratified roles in religious structures, but the increasing presence of women saints in contemporary India has contested entrenched normative hierarchies. This article provides a historical overview of the religious status of women from the Vedic era to the post-Vedic, medieval, and modern periods. Additionally, the experiences of several women saints currently active in the major Akharas and monasteries of North India are presented as case studies. The paper highlights the presence of Dalit and transgender women saints and the emerging trajectories of doctrinal inclusivity they represent. Theoretically, P. Bourdieu’s cultural capital theory and Anthony Giddens’ structuration theory are employed. The study aims to comprehend the entire process of women’s leadership through M.N. Srinivas’s concept of institutional change and Durkheim and Max Weber’s explanations of religion. The conclusion of this study reveals that religious authority is no longer a static patriarchal structure; instead, transformative dynamics of social reconstitution have emerged based on gender, caste, and identity. This paper recommends that inclusive policies should be formulated in religious institutions so that female saints can be legitimised not only as nuns but also as decisive leaders.