Religion as everyday resistance: Birsaite Dharam in contemporary Jharkhand

In the hinterland of Kolhan and Chotanagpur, followers of revered Adivasi leader Birsa Munda are known as Birsaites. Though Birsa died in colonial captivity in the late nineteenth century, Birsaites continue to uphold his teachings through Birsaite Dharam. Drawing on fieldwork, we analyse how Birsaite Dharam sustains collective identity and mobilises resistance. It explores key features of the Dharam, highlighting the conceptualisation of Birsa as a living embodiment who manifests as Avatars until Satjug—an era free of exploitation, marked by control over jal, jungle, aur jameen and reaffirmation of community ethos–is realised. The paper argues that Birsaite Dharam exhibits a complex of continuity, adaptation and everyday resistance while navigating the contemporary socio-political milieu, framing Dharamniti and Adhikar as entangled struggle. Religion thus functions as subtle yet enduring site of resistance, sustaining collective identity, reinforcing territorial claims, challenging power structures, resisting consumerism, negotiating neoliberal expansion, and mobilisation for social justice.