Living Banaras: Hindu Religion in Cultural Context

Front Cover
Bradley R. Hertel, Cynthia Ann Humes
SUNY Press, Jan 1, 1993 - Religion - 320 pages
By focusing on contemporary popular religious traditions, the book represents a substantial contribution to the study of modern religious practices in Banaras, holy city of India. This book offers in-depth, ethnographic views of many contemporary popular religious practices that have, for the most part, received little attention by scholars. Topics covered include the Ramlila celebrations, devotion to Hanuman, and goddess worship, and the way that Banarsi Boli, the local dialect of Banaras, supports its users in their identification with the sacred city.
 

Contents

Crossing the Water Pilgrimage Movement and Environmental Stenography of the Ramlila of Ramnagar
19
Staring at Frames Till They Turn into Loops An Excursion through Some Worlds of Tulsidas
73
Whats Taking Place Neighborhood Ramlilas in Banaras
103
Hanuman and the Moral Physique of the Banarsi Wrestler
127
Religious Division and the Mythology of the Past
145
The Monastic Structure of Banarsi Dandi Sadhus
159
The Goddess of the Vindhyas in Banaras
181
Lolark Kund Sun and Shiva Worship in the City of Light
205
The ThirtyOneDay Program of the Ramnagar Ramlila
269
An Encapsulation of the Ramcharitmanas by Tulsidas
272
Major Characters of the Ramayana
278
General Glossary
283
Bibliography
297
Contributors
309
Index
313
Copyright

Language Choice Religion and Identity in the Banarsi Community
245

Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

About the author (1993)

Bradley R. Hertel is Associate Professor of Sociology in the Department of Sociology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Cynthia Ann Humes is Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Religion in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at Claremont McKenna College.

Bibliographic information