The Domain of Constant Excess: Plural Worship at the Munnesvaram Temples in Sri LankaThe Sri Lankan ethnic conflict that has occurred largely between Sinhala Buddhists and Tamil Hindus is marked by a degree of religious tolerance that sees both communities worshiping together. This study describes one important site of such worship, the ancient Hindu temple complex of Munnesvaram. Standing adjacent to one of Sri Lanka's historical western ports, the fortunes of the Munnesvaram temples have waxed and waned through the years of turbulence, violence and social change that have been the country's lot since the advent of European colonialism in the Indian Ocean. Bastin recounts the story of these temples and analyses how the Hindu temple is reproduced as a center of worship amidst conflict and competition. |
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government appointed village official Grantha (Tm.) – ancient Tamil script used in the Parakramabahu VI inscription at Munnesvaram gr .ha (Skt.) – chamber Halawatta (Sinh.) – Sinhala name of Chilaw haskam (Sinh.) ...
anklet Salåbamapüra (Tm.) – 'The City of the Pearl Fishery', Tamil name of Chilaw Salågama (Sinh.) – caste traditionally associated with weaving and cinnamon peeling ßalava (Sinh.) – weaving hall, possible source of the name for Chilaw, ...
0 20 40 60 80 100 km Mannar Trincomalee Puttalam Anuradhapura Batticaloa CHILAW D edu ra Oya Kurunegala Kandy Negombo Colombo Adam's Peak Kataragama Galle Matara Figure 1.1 Map of Sri Lanka N Jaffna CHAPTER 1 WORSHIP, DIFFERENCE AND ...
My focus is the temple complex of Munnesvaram, a predominantly Hindu cluster of five temples near the north-west coastal town of Chilaw, during the period from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. My discussion is intended to draw out ...
... and in Sinhala as the 'water cutting' (diya käpima) where a representation of the temple deity is taken to the River Dedura north of Chilaw and plunged under the waters amidst wild splashing and bathing by assembled worshippers.
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Contents
1 | |
15 | |
Chapter 3 Myths and Marginality | 43 |
Chapter 4 Ritual Practices and Religious Identity | 59 |
Chapter 5 The Saivite Temple as a Monumental Architecture | 89 |
Puja and Arccanai | 117 |
Chapter 7 The Presence of Sakti | 133 |
Chapter 8 Guardians Games and the Formation of Power | 145 |
Chapter 9 The World Inside Out | 163 |
Chapter 10 The Domain of Excess | 183 |
Divine Kings and Regal Gods Temples in Society and History | 195 |
References | 213 |
Index | 227 |
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The Domain of Constant Excess: Plural Worship at the Munnesvaram Temples in ... Rohan Bastin No preview available - 2002 |