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
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Page 1
... temple in 1605 by the Portuguese Captain General of what was then called Ceilao (later Ceylon), they were provided ... complex. Unlike the Jesuits, for whom the activities at Munnesvaram were the work of the Devil, those who would ...
... temple in 1605 by the Portuguese Captain General of what was then called Ceilao (later Ceylon), they were provided ... complex. Unlike the Jesuits, for whom the activities at Munnesvaram were the work of the Devil, those who would ...
Page 2
... complex South Asian society and its techniques and expressions of social and cultural articulation. My focus is the temple complex of Munnesvaram, a predominantly Hindu cluster of five temples near the north-west coastal town of ...
... complex South Asian society and its techniques and expressions of social and cultural articulation. My focus is the temple complex of Munnesvaram, a predominantly Hindu cluster of five temples near the north-west coastal town of ...
Page 3
... temple complex . I stress this apparent sense , however , for while at one moment the fluidity of social and religious categories appears to be asserted by a unity of purpose in temple worship at Munnesvaram , in the next moment the temples ...
... temple complex . I stress this apparent sense , however , for while at one moment the fluidity of social and religious categories appears to be asserted by a unity of purpose in temple worship at Munnesvaram , in the next moment the temples ...
Page 4
... temple complex of Kataragama; the most important temple complex of its kind in all Sri Lanka and one that bears comparison with Munnesvaram in several respects that will be explored in the course of this work. However, where authors ...
... temple complex of Kataragama; the most important temple complex of its kind in all Sri Lanka and one that bears comparison with Munnesvaram in several respects that will be explored in the course of this work. However, where authors ...
Page 6
... temple aesthetic that this book explores . Crucially , the tem- ple aesthetic is , in my analysis , the fundamental ... complex in the religious topography of the island. The social composition of worship raises -6- The Domain of ...
... temple aesthetic that this book explores . Crucially , the tem- ple aesthetic is , in my analysis , the fundamental ... complex in the religious topography of the island. The social composition of worship raises -6- The Domain of ...
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
aesthetic Aiyanar annual festival arccanai articulation associated Astara Astara Devata bandara bathing rite becomes Bhadrakali temple Bhairavar Brahmins Buddhist revitalisation camphor caste Chapter chariot Chilaw coconut coconut game Colombo consciousness cosmic daily rites deities demonic described devotees Diseased King divine dynamic ethnic expression firewalking flag flagpole gaze goddess guardian hall ibid important inner road inner sanctum Jaffna Kali Kapferer 1997a Kataragama Kramrisch lamp linga Maradankulam Munnes Munnesvaram festival Munnesvaram priests Munnesvaram temple Murugan Navaratri Obeyesekere 1984 offerings Pattini performed Pillaiyar temple popular potency potentiality practice presence procession puja Purusa relation religious ritual sacrifice Saivism sakti sense shrine simply Sinh Sinhala Buddhist Sinhalese Siva social Somaskanda sorcery south Indian specific sponsor Sri Lanka Sri Lankan Tamil stress Suniyam Tamil Saivite Tamil Saivite temple Taniyavala temple complex temple festivals temple priests temple’s theme trance varam Visnu worship yantra