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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... annual monsoon. They are part of the rich and continuous history of agricultural water management that made Sri Lanka the rice bowl of southern India in the first centuries of the Common Era. The great hydraulic works are to be found in ...
... annual festival), it is the Munnesvaram temple that is the oldest and largest temple in the complex, the temple that organises the annual festival. For the Tamil Saivite Brahmins who own and run the temple, 'Munnesvara' is the name of ...
... annual festival is actually her festival, and the temple celebrates two other festivals for her each year: the Spring and Autumn Navaratri festivals. With Kali at the Bhadrakali temple, Ambal renders the Munnesvaram complex as arguably ...
... annual festival when they sponsor a day of festival events. It should also be noted that the high proportion of Sinhala Buddhists reflects both an increase in the number of Sinhala Buddhists attending and a decrease in the number of ...
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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 |