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
Page 12
... villages of the Munnesvaram pattuva – the region around Munnesvaram, which comprised of some sixty-three villages at the point of the Jesuit conquest in the early seven- teenth century. The pre-festival events in the village form the ...
... villages of the Munnesvaram pattuva – the region around Munnesvaram, which comprised of some sixty-three villages at the point of the Jesuit conquest in the early seven- teenth century. The pre-festival events in the village form the ...
Page 13
... villages of the pattuva and lead- ing up to the special events and the embellishments to the festival since the 1920s. In doing this I explore the manner of the festival as constitutive of a field of reli- gious and social possibility ...
... villages of the pattuva and lead- ing up to the special events and the embellishments to the festival since the 1920s. In doing this I explore the manner of the festival as constitutive of a field of reli- gious and social possibility ...
Page 17
... villages. With a number of other pattu (plural), Munnesvaram pattuva formed a korale known as the Pitigal Korale, one of seven linked as a broader regional unit, the Hata ('Seven') Korale, subsequently called the North-West Province by ...
... villages. With a number of other pattu (plural), Munnesvaram pattuva formed a korale known as the Pitigal Korale, one of seven linked as a broader regional unit, the Hata ('Seven') Korale, subsequently called the North-West Province by ...
Page 18
... villages of the present day Munnesvaram pattuva engage in both paddy and coconut cultivation, although the former took somewhat second place in the 1980s, partly because of deterioration of the tanks. The Government Irrigation ...
... villages of the present day Munnesvaram pattuva engage in both paddy and coconut cultivation, although the former took somewhat second place in the 1980s, partly because of deterioration of the tanks. The Government Irrigation ...
Page 21
... village guardian who is understood to ride a horse, but he is also identified as riding an elephant and has a close ... villages where the land is usually common, the position of priest merely custodial and the succession usually ...
... village guardian who is understood to ride a horse, but he is also identified as riding an elephant and has a close ... villages where the land is usually common, the position of priest merely custodial and the succession usually ...
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 |
Other editions - View all
The Domain of Constant Excess: Plural Worship at the Munnesvaram Temples in ... Rohan Bastin No preview available - 2002 |
Common terms and phrases
aesthetic Aiyanar annual festival arccanai articulation associated Astara Astara Devata bandara bathing rite becomes Bhadrakali temple Bhairavar Brahmins Buddhist revitalisation camphor caste Chapter chariot Chilaw coconut coconut game Colombo consciousness cosmic daily rites deities demonic described devotees Diseased King divine dynamic ethnic expression firewalking flag flagpole gaze goddess guardian hall ibid important inner road inner sanctum Jaffna Kali Kapferer 1997a Kataragama Kramrisch lamp linga Maradankulam Munnes Munnesvaram festival Munnesvaram priests Munnesvaram temple Murugan Navaratri Obeyesekere 1984 offerings Pattini performed Pillaiyar temple popular potency potentiality practice presence procession puja Purusa relation religious ritual sacrifice Saivism sakti sense shrine simply Sinh Sinhala Buddhist Sinhalese Siva social Somaskanda sorcery south Indian specific sponsor Sri Lanka Sri Lankan Tamil stress Suniyam Tamil Saivite Tamil Saivite temple Taniyavala temple complex temple festivals temple priests temple’s theme trance varam Visnu worship yantra