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. |
From inside the book
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... popular festival with Sinhala Buddhists. Instead, it is strongly marked by Tamil Saivite revitalisation themes, and by an orientation to women and to the household that is not suited to the idea of the Munnesvaram goddesses and the ...
... popular Sinhalese historiography). The fortified town, restored by government archaeologists from the late nineteenth century onwards, is more contemporary, dating from the medieval period when the town would have presided over an ...
... popular shrine at the edge of Madampe town (Bell 1920).8 The nature of this deity is closely linked with the regional guardian god whom I discuss below. Vital to the bandara tradition is the weaving of historical figures and geo ...
... popular with Tamil Saivites.20 The singular Pattini goddess of Obeyesekere's monumental study is the. The Bhadrakali Statue Covered in Cooling Sandalwood Paste. – 25– Fluidity and Ambiguity in the History of Munnesvaram.
... popular for many Tamils to travel to Munnesvaram because the days are sacred to Sinhala Buddhists and the Tamils reasoned that they would be safer when the Sinhalese were remembering their non-violent religious precepts. Concomitantly ...
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 |