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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Page 4
The potency of the riverside bo tree stems from the deity pavilion and the festival bathing rite, which draw out a symbolic association of the site as an ambiguous juncture of land and water. Most importantly, the potency is expressed ...
The potency of the riverside bo tree stems from the deity pavilion and the festival bathing rite, which draw out a symbolic association of the site as an ambiguous juncture of land and water. Most importantly, the potency is expressed ...
Page 5
The Manuweriya shrine is adjacent to a coconut plantation and it was during the clearing of land for this plantation that an Indian Tamil 'discovered' a stone sivalinga image which he claimed to be the original linga brought by the god ...
The Manuweriya shrine is adjacent to a coconut plantation and it was during the clearing of land for this plantation that an Indian Tamil 'discovered' a stone sivalinga image which he claimed to be the original linga brought by the god ...
Page 6
Of such inscriptions, the most important is the one granting lands and revenues by the Sinhala Buddhist king Parakramabahu VI in the mid-fifteenth century. The inscribed stones were used when the temple was rebuilt in the 1870s ...
Of such inscriptions, the most important is the one granting lands and revenues by the Sinhala Buddhist king Parakramabahu VI in the mid-fifteenth century. The inscribed stones were used when the temple was rebuilt in the 1870s ...
Page 17
The Munnesvaram settlement is surrounded on three sides by paddy fields and coconut land, and on the fourth by the Munnesvaram tank which feeds these fields (see Figure 2.1 and page 21). A paved road runs from Chilaw to Munnesvaram and ...
The Munnesvaram settlement is surrounded on three sides by paddy fields and coconut land, and on the fourth by the Munnesvaram tank which feeds these fields (see Figure 2.1 and page 21). A paved road runs from Chilaw to Munnesvaram and ...
Page 18
The rich coconut lands between Negombo and Chilaw stretch into the interior as far as Kurunegala, these three towns forming the points of what is unofficially called Sri Lanka's 'Coconut Triangle'.10 The villages of the present day ...
The rich coconut lands between Negombo and Chilaw stretch into the interior as far as Kurunegala, these three towns forming the points of what is unofficially called Sri Lanka's 'Coconut Triangle'.10 The villages of the present day ...
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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 |
Other editions - View all
The Domain of Constant Excess: Plural Worship at the Munnesvaram Temples in ... Rohan Bastin No preview available - 2002 |
Common terms and phrases
according action active aesthetic Ambal annual associated attend bathing becomes Bhadrakali temple body Brahmins called caste central century Chapter Chilaw closely coconut complex condition deities demonic described developed devotees discussion divine especially ethnic example existence expression festival Figure flag front goddess ground guardian hall Hindu human important Indian inside involves Jaffna Kali Kataragama king lamp land marked meaning movement Munnesvaram temple myth nature Navaratri noted Obeyesekere offerings origin Pattini pattuva performed Pillaiyar popular possibility potency potentiality practice presence priests procession puja regard region relation religious remains reveals rite ritual Saivite temple sense shrine simply Sinh Sinhala Buddhist Sinhalese situation Siva social sorcery space specific Sri Lanka statue stress symbolic takes Tamil Saivite temple’s theme traditions tree village worship
Bibliographic information
| Title | The Domain of Constant Excess: Plural Worship at the Munnesvaram Temples in Sri Lanka |
| Author | Rohan Bastin |
| Publisher | Berghahn Books, 2002 |
| ISBN | 1789203678, 9781789203677 |
| Length | 254 pages |
| Subjects | › › Religion / General Social Science / Anthropology / General |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |