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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... become instrumental themselves in furthering the process of change.10 Haskam or Marvellous Potentiality When asked about the special place Munnesvaram holds in contemporary Sri Lanka, devotees would often explain that Munnesvaram has ...
... become, and with that its place in contemporary Sri Lankan religious life. In the following chapters I examine the Munnesvaram temples closely and offer an account of key features of the temples as aesthetic objects involving both ...
... become, in many instances, sites for the articulation of caste, class and ethnic cleavages that have profoundly influenced the religious field (Whitaker 1999). That the Munnesvaram and Bhadrakali temples lack such trusts has been ...
... becomes many things to many people and becomes, as a result, an essential element in the articulation of difference in South Asian society and history. It does this primarily through its festivals, as these festivals enact a series of ...
... become problematic when applied to the Sri Lankan context. Where is the 'single moral community' that Durkheim saw as basic to a religion? At the same time, what preserves the dynamic interrelations in Sri Lanka? There is neither ...
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 |