The Place of Devotion: Siting and Experiencing Divinity in Bengal-Vaishnavism"The anthropology of Hinduism has amply established that Hindus have strong involvement with sacred geography. The Hindu sacred topography is dotted with innumerable pilgrimage places, and popular Hinduism is abundant with spatial imaginings. Thus Shiva and his partner, the mother goddess, live in the Himalayas, goddesses descend on earth as beautiful rivers, the goddess Kali's body parts are imagined to have fallen in various sites of Hindu geography sanctifying them as sacred centres, and yogis meditate in forests. Bengal similarly has a thriving culture of exalting sacred centres and pilgrimage places, one of the most important among them being the Navadvip-Mayapur sacred complex, Bengal's greatest site of guru-centred Vaishnavite pilgrimage and devotional life. The main question my book seeks to answer is what sites and senses of place beyond physical geographical ones can do to our notions of space/place, affect, and sanctity. While the contemporary anthropology of place and embodiment, following Edward Casey's philosophy (1993), is dominated by the idea of body-in-place, my book seeks to extend his formulations by also analysing cultural constructions and experiences of place in the body, mind etc. Traveling through both exterior and interior landscapes, I show that the practitioner inhabits Krishna's world through every daily religious practice. The synaesthesia that results from the overlap of these different planes of experience confirms the intensely transformative power of Vaishnava ritual processes"--Provided by publisher. |
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Place of Devotion: Siting and Experiencing Divinity in Bengal-Vaishnavism Sukanya Sarbadhikary No preview available - 2020 |
Common terms and phrases
activities affective argue asked associated attendants babajis Bangladesh becomes Bengal-Vaishnavas Bengali bhakti birthplace body breath called celestial Chaitanya’s chanting chapter claim collective complex conceptualize cultivated cultural debates deities describing disciples discipline discussed distinctive divine embodied emotions erotic experienced experiences explained feel feminine fieldwork fluids give goswamis and babajis groups gupta-Vrindavan gurus hear helps historical idols imagination important Indian initiation instance intense interiorized internal ISKCON devotees khol kind kirtan known Krishna landscape lilas listening lives manifest manjari Mayapur means mind Nadia names Navadvip offered passionate perform philosophy physical pilgrimage pilgrims play pleasures possible practices practitioners preaching Radha Radha-Krishna’s reading refers relations religion religious renunciation reside rhythm ritual sacred sacred place sadhana sahajiyas senses of place serving sexual similar similarly singers singing social songs sounds space spiritual stories studies temple tion town traditions understand Vaishnava Vrindavan