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. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 73
Hinduism--Relations--Buddhism. 3. Buddhism--Relations--Hinduism. 4. Sri Lanka--Religious Life and customs. I. Title BL1243.78.S72 D66 2002 294.5'35'095493--dc21 2002074582 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue ...
ritual plural diagram form articulating macrocosm/microcosm relation of mä ̄niyo mä ̄niyo (Sinh.) – 'mother', a female trance specialist and particularly a devotee of the goddess Bhadrakali mantra (Skt.) – ritual syllabic utterance ...
I examine the relation between the temple and its world in order to explore the interactive dynamism of a complex South Asian society and its techniques and expressions of social and cultural articulation. My focus is the temple complex ...
... manner in which the complexity behind the apparent unity of worship is not only an expression of contradiction and embedded social relations, but is central to the reproduction of religious power in the forceful aesthetic of ritual.
... in Chapter 2) is important for several reasons, because, in addition to its place in the temple's built form, the inscription is central to the relationship between the temple and the Brahmin priests who effectively own the temple.
What people are saying - Write a review
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 |