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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... kings. The relationship between Munnesvaram and Sinhala Buddhist kings, evident in the temple origin myths mostly favoured by Sinhala Buddhists, informs the most prevalent types of religious practice at the temples. These are considered ...
... King Panduvasudeva who succeeded the first Sinhalese king, Vijaya, in the fifth century BCE (according to popular Sinhalese historiography). The fortified town, restored by government archaeologists from the late nineteenth century ...
... king (based at Kotte near Colombo) ruled the Chilaw and Munnesvaram area from at least the fifteenth century. The last and most famous of these was Prince Taniyavala Bahu whose fame stemmed from a victory over Kadiyarana ('the Muslim ...
... king who settled representatives of every caste in the Sinhalese caste-order in separate villages. Obligatory service to the king in public works and military service stemmed from this land settlement, with the pattuva representing in ...
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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 |