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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... especially to Stanley Tambiah. The task of turning the thesis into a book began during my time as an Australian Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow in the Anthropology Program at the University of Melbourne, where I also held a ...
... especially in his guardian Bhairavar form) and a small cement structure housing a painted statue of Kali. A Tamil stonemason of Indian descent who lived and worked in Colombo had built the structure. Working for him on the day of the ...
... (especially south Indian) civilisation. Munnesvaram offers a way of thinking about this. It does so because it is a broadly popular temple complex with a socially diverse patronage. Not all temples are so accessible, and for this ...
... boundaries of what they regarded as their traditional homelands in the north and east of the country. Tamils perceived these homelands to be especially threatened by a major – 9– Worship, Difference and Marvellous Potentiality.
... especially threatened by a major hydro-electric/irrigation scheme that involved resettling Sinhalese. The Tamil agitation provoked violent response by some Sinhalese, leading many agitators and others to pursue militancy in order to win ...
Contents
1 | |
Chapter 2 Fluidity and Ambiguity in the History of Munnesvaram | 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 |