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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... India, Rajiv Gandhi. In addition, the Tigers have blown up buildings in central Colombo causing serious loss of life ... Indian government's military intervention, and the attempt by the Sinhalese People's Liberation Front (JVP) to ...
... Indian context mean. It is a form of totalisation, but not in the sense in which Louis Dumont (1980) uses it as ... India (where, for example, the Saiva/Vaisnava (Visnu-centred) distinction obtains more strongly and there is a markedly ...
... Indian army participated as a 'Peace Keeping Force' in 1987 and 1988. 5. My source is my own sample of the temple patronage taken between April 1985 and April 1986. Buddhists constitute roughly 90% of the Sinhalese ethnic group, the ...
... India. Collectively, these are the famous five Siva temples of the region and it is no accident that all are located on or near major ancient ports.1 The ports of Sri Lanka's western littoral have constituted points – 15– Chapter 2 ...
... India. The movement into Sri Lanka has been a steady stream punctuated by waves of immigration by often distinct ... Indian Ocean trade both before, during and after the period of European colonial rule in Sri Lanka. Along with trade ...
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 |
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The Domain of Constant Excess: Plural Worship at the Munnesvaram Temples in ... Rohan Bastin No preview available - 2002 |