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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... coconut plantation economy of the British period. This also enables me to introduce the two principal groups of priests – the Munnesvaram Brahmins and the non-Brahmins of the Bhadrakali temple. In Chapter 3 I begin my examination of the ...
... coconut and fish products, arecanut and spices has been a movement of people and ideas. Port temples like Munnesvaram have, therefore, always been integral to a condition of movement, and often central in struggles to articulate and ...
... coconut land, and on the fourth by the Munnesvaram tank which feeds these fields (see Figure 2.1 and page 21). A paved road runs from Chilaw to Munnesvaram and continues past the settlement eventually reaching the interior township of ...
... coconuts. The countryside around Munnesvaram is dominated particularly by the large commercial coconut plantations that were established in the area from the middle of the nineteenth century. These cease a few kilometres beyond the ...
... coconut and paddy cultivation. Even here the temples play a role, as a sizeable amount of the land is owned by the main Munnesvaram temple. In order of size and importance, the temples are, Munnesvaram temple Bhadrakali temple Pusparama ...
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 |