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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... Kali shrine created, in effect, by the Munnesvaram deities and by the dynamic of religious practice, both Tamil Saivite and Sinhala Buddhist. For, while the sponsor of the Kali shrine is Tamil Saivite, the aesthetic style of his shrine ...
... Kali as the energy of action and practice in the world. The Navaratri, not unlike the three other Navaratri festivals Munnesvaram celebrates, is not a popular festival with Sinhala Buddhists. Instead, it is strongly marked by Tamil ...
... Kali') is the most famous temple to this fierce goddess in all of Sri Lanka, and is regarded by many Sinhala Buddhists as the entry-site for Kali when she first arrived (by stone ship) from India (see Chapter 3). It is the marvellous ...
... Kali at the Bhadrakali temple, Ambal renders the Munnesvaram complex as arguably the most important goddess complex in Sri Lanka. In Tamil Saivism both goddesses are forms of Siva's consort, and as such the goddesses are forms of the ...
... Kali is outside the Buddhist pantheon and thus deemed to be thoroughly Tamil Saivite (Gombrich and Obeyesekere 1988: 139). According to Gananath Obeyesekere, deities belong to the Buddhist pantheon as they are themselves Buddhist. They ...
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 |