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. |
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... Pattini ul.vithi (Tm.) – inner road (oftemple) utsådana (Skt.) – 'overturning', a type of sorcery utsa (Skt.) – flowering, blossoming, shooting utsava (Skt.) – festival, blossoming. utsavamürti (Skt.) – festival image; name of the metal ...
... Pattini games yoni (Skt.) – complement of the linga, the vagina yuga (Skt.) – the age or epoch yüpa (Skt.) – the pole or sacrificial stake to which the victim is tied 0 20 40 60 80 100 km Mannar Trincomalee Puttalam – xxiii– Glossary.
... Pattini. For many Sinhala Buddhists, Munnesvaram temple is actually a Pattini temple (the site where not only the fierce goddess Kali landed from India, but also the site where she was tamed by the righteous goddess Pattini and ...
... Pattini, the pre-eminent goddess of Sinhala Buddhism. The large number of Sinhala Buddhists who identify Kali as the main deity of Munnesvaram worship her from this perspective or a version of it. Likewise they worship Ambal as Pattini ...
... Pattini. Importantly, Kiri Amma is, in Obeyesekere's terms, 'both a deity and a concept' (ibid.: 296): any goddess or form of a goddess may be called a 'Kiri Amma'. In this sense, 'Kiri Amma' is an epithet like the Tamil 'amman ...
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 |