This article analyses the phenomenon of sect in Hindu society through empirical data and a review of literature, and pleads for the recognition of the sect as a structural principle of society as a whole, rather than merely of religion. It considers the sect/non-sect distinction more basic than the caste/sect distinction, and the long-held presumption of a necessary relation between renunciation and sect as limiting a proper understanding of both religion and society. It analyses the social organisation of sects, taking an integrated view of laity and leadership, contrary to the overwhelming importance given to the latter in sociological literature. It examines the sect's relation with caste, including the Dalit castes, and with the Adivasi tribes, and seeks to place sect in the context of Sanskritic culture, including its intellectual life. Finally, it raises the issue of changes in sects in modern times, and the problem of their study.
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