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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... land is owned by the main Munnesvaram temple. In order of size and importance, the temples are, Munnesvaram temple Bhadrakali temple Pusparama Pansala Aiyanayake temple Pillaiyar temple (see Figure 2.1 overleaf) Commencing with the ...
... land is usually common, the position of priest merely custodial and the succession usually rotating within a lineage group. Along with the Pusparama Pansala (hereafter Pusparamaya), the Aiyanayake temple is the most explicitly Buddhist ...
... land on which several goats normally graze when they are not wandering amongst the worshippers eating leftover fruit and other rubbish. The temple, with its large black basalt statue of Bhadrakali ('Auspicious Kali') is the most famous ...
... lands and the revenues from people's offerings. The land holdings border the Munnesvaram settlement and are also in the vicinity. The rights over them relate back to royal land grants that have been recognised throughout the colonial ...
... land holdings, which are predominantly utilised for paddy and coconut cultivation.22 The two sources of income for Munnesvaram temple mirror the two principal forms of economic activity with which Munnesvaram has historically been ...
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 |