Amritsar. Syncretic and Sectarian Traditions among Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus in an Urban Conflict

Abstract

The article presents memories of everyday religious, economic and social life of the inhabitants of Amritsar’s walled city in the aftermath of the partition of India in 1947, based on oral history, ethnography and secondary sources. The religious conflict triggered by partition drastically transformed the urban demography and religious diversity of the city. Most of the 49% Muslim inhabitants migrated to Pakistan. Sectarian violence was traumatic for all inhabitants, as historically the city had not experienced such religious conflict. Prior to this, an important feature of the city’s religious diversity were eclectic and syncretic practices among its inhabitants. The observance of festive rituals and belief in the curative and healing powers of the Golden Temple’s sacred tank and Sufi shrines were integral to the city’s folklore. During the ethnographic mapping of the city and by interviewing some inhabitants, I sought to answer the question of whether the experience of sectarian violence undermined local eclectic and syncretic traditions among Hindus and Sikhs after 1947 and the 1980s. I also asked if the post-1947 absence of Muslims reduced religious conflict in the city as Sikhs and Hindus perceived them as common enemies in the charged atmosphere of partition violence.