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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... region around Munnesvaram, which comprised of some sixty-three villages at the point of the Jesuit conquest in the early seventeenth century. The pre-festival events in the village form the basis of the broader festival and reveal ...
... region and it is no accident that all are located on or near major ancient ports.1 The ports of Sri Lanka's western littoral have constituted points – 15– Chapter 2. Fluidity and Ambiguity in the History of Munnesvaram.
... region prior to its penetration by European mercantile and colonial interests.4 Sri Lankan history during this period is marked by the steady shift of Sinhala Buddhist capitals and kingdoms from the north-central region around ...
... region being intermediate between the dry zone and the wet zone of Sri Lanka's south-west. Tied to the network of tanks was the local socio-political unit, the pattuva. The region around Munnesvaram was known up until the mid-nineteenth ...
... region around the Munnesvaram temples has a history of association with Tamil political leaders tied to Sinhalese kingdoms, and it is in this historical setting that the Munnesvaram temples developed. Casie Chitty also writes of the ...
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 |