Gods on Earth: The Management of Religious Experience and Identity in a North Indian Pilgrimage Centre

by Peter van der Veer

Overview

A detailed historical anthropology of Ayodhya, which argues that religious values CAN reflect political and economic processes.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780367716882
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	03/31/2021
Series:	LSE Monographs on Social Anthropology , #23
Pages:	310
Product dimensions:	5.44(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Peter van der Veer (Author)

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements vii

Note on transliteration viii

Maps ix

Preface xi

I Ayodhya: Time and Place 1

1 Introduction 1

2 Sarayu and the ghats 9

3 The presence of Ram 18

4 The conjunction of time and place 28

5 Ayodhya in history 34

II Problems and Perspectives 44

1 The study of meaning 44

2 Hinduism: the orientalist perspective 52

3 The study of a pilgrimage centre 58

III Devotion and Ascension 66

1 Introduction 66

2 Tradition and Identity 85

3 Tyagis 107

4 Nagas 130

5 Rasiks 159

6 Conclusion: The Ramanandis, an open category 172

IV The sacred as a profession 183

1 Introduction 183

2 The ideal Brahman as an ideological construct 189

3 The formation of professional identities 211

4 Competition and Violence 241

5 Conclusion: Values and Existence 259

V Conclusion 268

Appendix 1 Kanak Bhavan, an example of a temple built by a raja 273

Appendix 2 Caste temples 275

Appendix 3 Rules and regulations of Hanumangarhi 277

Notes 281

Bibliography 296

Glossary 304

Index 306