Objects of Worship in South Asian Religions

Objects of Worship in South Asian Religions

Author: Knut A. Jacobsen

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-08-27

Total Pages: 222

ISBN-13: 1317675959

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Objects of worship are an aspect of the material dimension of lived religion in South Asia. The omnipresence of these objects and their use is a theme which cuts across the religious traditions in the pluralistic religious culture of the region. Divine power becomes manifest in the objects and for the devotees they may represent power regardless of religious identity. This book looks at how objects of worship dominate the religious landscape of South Asia, and in what ways they are of significance not just from religious perspectives but also for the social life of the region. The contributions to the book show how these objects are shaped by traditions of religious aesthetics and have become conceptual devices woven into webs of religious and social meaning. They demonstrate how the objects have a social relationship with those who use them, sometimes even treated as being alive. The book discusses how devotees relate to such objects in a number of ways, and even if the objects belong to various traditions they may attract people from different communities and can also be contested in various ways. By analysing the specific qualities that make objects eligible for a status and identity as living objects of worship, the book contributes to an understanding of the central significance of these objects in the religious and social life of South Asia. It will be of interest to students and scholars of Religious Studies and South Asian Religion, Culture and Society.


Book Synopsis Objects of Worship in South Asian Religions by : Knut A. Jacobsen

Download or read book Objects of Worship in South Asian Religions written by Knut A. Jacobsen and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-08-27 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Objects of worship are an aspect of the material dimension of lived religion in South Asia. The omnipresence of these objects and their use is a theme which cuts across the religious traditions in the pluralistic religious culture of the region. Divine power becomes manifest in the objects and for the devotees they may represent power regardless of religious identity. This book looks at how objects of worship dominate the religious landscape of South Asia, and in what ways they are of significance not just from religious perspectives but also for the social life of the region. The contributions to the book show how these objects are shaped by traditions of religious aesthetics and have become conceptual devices woven into webs of religious and social meaning. They demonstrate how the objects have a social relationship with those who use them, sometimes even treated as being alive. The book discusses how devotees relate to such objects in a number of ways, and even if the objects belong to various traditions they may attract people from different communities and can also be contested in various ways. By analysing the specific qualities that make objects eligible for a status and identity as living objects of worship, the book contributes to an understanding of the central significance of these objects in the religious and social life of South Asia. It will be of interest to students and scholars of Religious Studies and South Asian Religion, Culture and Society.

Sacred Matters

Sacred Matters

Author: Tracy Pintchman

Publisher: SUNY Press

Published: 2015-11-16

Total Pages: 246

ISBN-13: 1438459432

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Explores how objects shape the worlds of religious participants across a range of South Asian traditions. Sacred Matters explores the lives of material objects in South Asian religions. Spanning a range of traditions including Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Buddhism, and Christianity, the book demonstrates how sacred items influence and enliven the worlds of religious participants across South Asia and into the diaspora. Contributors examine a variety of objects to describe the ways sacred materials derive and confer meaning and efficacy, emerging from and giving shape to religious and nonreligious realms alike. Material forms of deity and divine power are considered along with commonplace ritual items, including images, clay pots, and camphor. The work also attends to materiality’s complex role within the “materially suspicious” contexts of Islam, Theravada Buddhism, and Roman Catholicism. This engaging collection presents new frameworks for contemplating the ways in which historical, social, and sacred processes intertwine and collectively shape human and divine activity.


Book Synopsis Sacred Matters by : Tracy Pintchman

Download or read book Sacred Matters written by Tracy Pintchman and published by SUNY Press. This book was released on 2015-11-16 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explores how objects shape the worlds of religious participants across a range of South Asian traditions. Sacred Matters explores the lives of material objects in South Asian religions. Spanning a range of traditions including Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Buddhism, and Christianity, the book demonstrates how sacred items influence and enliven the worlds of religious participants across South Asia and into the diaspora. Contributors examine a variety of objects to describe the ways sacred materials derive and confer meaning and efficacy, emerging from and giving shape to religious and nonreligious realms alike. Material forms of deity and divine power are considered along with commonplace ritual items, including images, clay pots, and camphor. The work also attends to materiality’s complex role within the “materially suspicious” contexts of Islam, Theravada Buddhism, and Roman Catholicism. This engaging collection presents new frameworks for contemplating the ways in which historical, social, and sacred processes intertwine and collectively shape human and divine activity.

South Asian Religions

South Asian Religions

Author: Karen Pechilis

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 265

ISBN-13: 0415448514

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This valuable resource explores the important role which the minority traditions play in the religious life of the subcontinent.


Book Synopsis South Asian Religions by : Karen Pechilis

Download or read book South Asian Religions written by Karen Pechilis and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This valuable resource explores the important role which the minority traditions play in the religious life of the subcontinent.

South Asian Religions on Display

South Asian Religions on Display

Author: Knut A. Jacobsen

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2008-03-03

Total Pages: 237

ISBN-13: 113407459X

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Religious procession is a significant dimension of religion in South Asia. This volume presents current research on this important phenomenon dealing with interpretations of the role of processions, the recent increase in processions and changes in the procession traditions.


Book Synopsis South Asian Religions on Display by : Knut A. Jacobsen

Download or read book South Asian Religions on Display written by Knut A. Jacobsen and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2008-03-03 with total page 237 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Religious procession is a significant dimension of religion in South Asia. This volume presents current research on this important phenomenon dealing with interpretations of the role of processions, the recent increase in processions and changes in the procession traditions.

Religious Traditions in Modern South Asia

Religious Traditions in Modern South Asia

Author: Jacqueline Suthren Hirst

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-03

Total Pages: 330

ISBN-13: 1136626689

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"This book offers a fresh approach to the study of religion in modern South Asia. It uses a series of case studies to explore the development of religious ideas and practices, giving students an understanding of the social, political and historical context. It looks at some familiar themes in the study of religion, such as deity, authoritative texts, myth, worship, teacher traditions and caste, and some of the key ways in which Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism in South Asia have been shaped in the modern period. The book points to the diversity of ways of looking at religious traditions and considers the impact of gender, politics, and the way religion itself is variously understood."--Publisher's description


Book Synopsis Religious Traditions in Modern South Asia by : Jacqueline Suthren Hirst

Download or read book Religious Traditions in Modern South Asia written by Jacqueline Suthren Hirst and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-03 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This book offers a fresh approach to the study of religion in modern South Asia. It uses a series of case studies to explore the development of religious ideas and practices, giving students an understanding of the social, political and historical context. It looks at some familiar themes in the study of religion, such as deity, authoritative texts, myth, worship, teacher traditions and caste, and some of the key ways in which Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism in South Asia have been shaped in the modern period. The book points to the diversity of ways of looking at religious traditions and considers the impact of gender, politics, and the way religion itself is variously understood."--Publisher's description

Health and Religious Rituals in South Asia

Health and Religious Rituals in South Asia

Author: Fabrizio Ferrari

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2011-03-07

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 1136846298

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Drawing on original fieldwork, this book develops a fresh methodological approach to the study of indigenous understandings of disease as possession, and looks at healing rituals in different South Asian cultural contexts. Contributors discuss the meaning of 'disease', 'possession' and 'healing' in relation to South Asian religions, including Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism and Sikhism, and how South Asians deal with the divine in order to negotiate health and wellbeing. The book goes on to look at goddesses, gods and spirits as a cause and remedy of a variety of diseases, a study that has proved significant to the ethics and politics of responding to health issues. It contributes to a consolidation and promotion of indigenous ways as a method of understanding physical and mental imbalances through diverse conceptions of the divine. Chapters offer a fascinating overview of healing rituals in South Asia and provide a full-length, sustained discussion of the interface between religion, ritual, and folklore. The book presents a fresh insight into studies of Asian Religion and the History of Medicine.


Book Synopsis Health and Religious Rituals in South Asia by : Fabrizio Ferrari

Download or read book Health and Religious Rituals in South Asia written by Fabrizio Ferrari and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2011-03-07 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Drawing on original fieldwork, this book develops a fresh methodological approach to the study of indigenous understandings of disease as possession, and looks at healing rituals in different South Asian cultural contexts. Contributors discuss the meaning of 'disease', 'possession' and 'healing' in relation to South Asian religions, including Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism and Sikhism, and how South Asians deal with the divine in order to negotiate health and wellbeing. The book goes on to look at goddesses, gods and spirits as a cause and remedy of a variety of diseases, a study that has proved significant to the ethics and politics of responding to health issues. It contributes to a consolidation and promotion of indigenous ways as a method of understanding physical and mental imbalances through diverse conceptions of the divine. Chapters offer a fascinating overview of healing rituals in South Asia and provide a full-length, sustained discussion of the interface between religion, ritual, and folklore. The book presents a fresh insight into studies of Asian Religion and the History of Medicine.

South Asians in the Diaspora

South Asians in the Diaspora

Author: Knut A. Jacobsen

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2018-08-14

Total Pages: 556

ISBN-13: 9047401409

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This book explores the role of religion in a great number of the South Asian diaspora communities around the world and is unique in its emphasis on religious diversity, both across and within the religious traditions.


Book Synopsis South Asians in the Diaspora by : Knut A. Jacobsen

Download or read book South Asians in the Diaspora written by Knut A. Jacobsen and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2018-08-14 with total page 556 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the role of religion in a great number of the South Asian diaspora communities around the world and is unique in its emphasis on religious diversity, both across and within the religious traditions.

Consecration Rituals in South Asia

Consecration Rituals in South Asia

Author: István Keul

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2017-02-06

Total Pages: 405

ISBN-13: 9004337180

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The essays in the volume Consecration Rituals in South Asia address the ritual procedures that accompany the installation of temple images in Shaiva, Vaishnava, Buddhist and Jain contexts, in various traditions and historical periods.


Book Synopsis Consecration Rituals in South Asia by : István Keul

Download or read book Consecration Rituals in South Asia written by István Keul and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2017-02-06 with total page 405 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The essays in the volume Consecration Rituals in South Asia address the ritual procedures that accompany the installation of temple images in Shaiva, Vaishnava, Buddhist and Jain contexts, in various traditions and historical periods.

Ritual Innovation

Ritual Innovation

Author: Brian K. Pennington

Publisher: SUNY Press

Published: 2018-02-01

Total Pages: 310

ISBN-13: 1438469039

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Challenges prevailing conceptions of what religious ritual does and how it achieves its ends. Religious rituals are often seen as unchanging and ahistorical bearers of long-standing traditions. But as this book demonstrates, ritual is a lively platform for social change and innovation in the religions of South Asia. Drawing from Hindu and Jain examples in India, Nepal, and North America,the essays in this volume, written by renowned scholars of religion, explore how the intentional, conscious, and public invention or alteration of ritual can effect dramatic social transformation, whether in dethroning a Nepali king or sanctioning same-sex marriage. Ritual Innovation shows how the very idea of ritual as a conservative force misreads the history of religion by overlooking ritual’s inherent creative potential and its adaptability to new contexts and circumstances. “The breadth of coverage in Ritual Innovation is extraordinary and refreshing in terms of the types of contemporary ritual practices and practitioners receiving attention, not to mention the geographic spread across South Asia. This book makes a significant contribution to the scholarly literature on South Asian religions and contemporary Hinduism.” — Karline McLain, author of The Afterlife of Sai Baba: Competing Visions of a Global Saint


Book Synopsis Ritual Innovation by : Brian K. Pennington

Download or read book Ritual Innovation written by Brian K. Pennington and published by SUNY Press. This book was released on 2018-02-01 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Challenges prevailing conceptions of what religious ritual does and how it achieves its ends. Religious rituals are often seen as unchanging and ahistorical bearers of long-standing traditions. But as this book demonstrates, ritual is a lively platform for social change and innovation in the religions of South Asia. Drawing from Hindu and Jain examples in India, Nepal, and North America,the essays in this volume, written by renowned scholars of religion, explore how the intentional, conscious, and public invention or alteration of ritual can effect dramatic social transformation, whether in dethroning a Nepali king or sanctioning same-sex marriage. Ritual Innovation shows how the very idea of ritual as a conservative force misreads the history of religion by overlooking ritual’s inherent creative potential and its adaptability to new contexts and circumstances. “The breadth of coverage in Ritual Innovation is extraordinary and refreshing in terms of the types of contemporary ritual practices and practitioners receiving attention, not to mention the geographic spread across South Asia. This book makes a significant contribution to the scholarly literature on South Asian religions and contemporary Hinduism.” — Karline McLain, author of The Afterlife of Sai Baba: Competing Visions of a Global Saint

Engaging South Asian Religions

Engaging South Asian Religions

Author: Mathew N. Schmalz

Publisher: State University of New York Press

Published: 2012-01-02

Total Pages: 259

ISBN-13: 1438433255

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Focusing on boundaries, appropriations, and resistances involved in Western engagements with South Asian religions, this edited volume considers both the pre- and postcolonial period in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. It pays particular attention to contemporary controversies surrounding the study of South Asian religions, including several scholars' reflection on the contentious reaction to their own work. Other chapters consider such issues as British colonial epistemologies, the relevance of Hegel for the study of South Asia, the canonization of Francis Xavier, feminist interpretations of the mother of the Buddha, and theological dispute among Muslims in Bangladesh and Pakistan. By using the themes of boundaries, appropriations and resistances, this work offers insight into the dynamics and diversity of Western approaches to South Asian religions, and the indigenous responses to them, that avoids simple active/passive binaries.


Book Synopsis Engaging South Asian Religions by : Mathew N. Schmalz

Download or read book Engaging South Asian Religions written by Mathew N. Schmalz and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 2012-01-02 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Focusing on boundaries, appropriations, and resistances involved in Western engagements with South Asian religions, this edited volume considers both the pre- and postcolonial period in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. It pays particular attention to contemporary controversies surrounding the study of South Asian religions, including several scholars' reflection on the contentious reaction to their own work. Other chapters consider such issues as British colonial epistemologies, the relevance of Hegel for the study of South Asia, the canonization of Francis Xavier, feminist interpretations of the mother of the Buddha, and theological dispute among Muslims in Bangladesh and Pakistan. By using the themes of boundaries, appropriations and resistances, this work offers insight into the dynamics and diversity of Western approaches to South Asian religions, and the indigenous responses to them, that avoids simple active/passive binaries.