Caste Structure In Colonial Kumaon: A Study Of Things To Leave Behind

Abstract

This research paper explores the caste hierarchy in Kumaoni society through the character of a Kumaoni Brahmin women named Tilottama. The novel Things to Leave Behind written by Namita Gokhale is set in the years spanning from 1840 to 1912. It is about the time when everything was changing in Kumaoni society due to the advent of British Raj. It documents the centuries old caste system in Kumaon. The rites and rituals of a high born Thuldhoti Brahmin and the rigid rules of caste purity determines the structure of Kumaoni
society. Gokhale’s novel also tells the story of Brahmin women in Kumaon and their reaction to the whole set up of Brahminical patriarchy. Thus, this paper is an attempt to explore the ancient caste system of Kumaon and its changing structure in colonial period.