Divine Play on Earth

Mallebrein, Cornelia ; Stietencron, Heinrich von:
The divine play on earth : religious aesthetics and ritual in Orissa / Cornelia Mallebrein ; Heinrich von Stietencron. - Heidelberg : Synchron Publishers, 2008. - 256 S. : Ill.
ISBN 978-3-939381-21-1
EUR 28,00 (Subskriptionspreis bei Bestellungen bis zum 31. Oktober 2008, danach:)
EUR 38,00

Beschreibung
This publication is a survey of religion and ritual in Orissa, one of the major states of the Republic of India. It encompasses the literary Sanskritic tradition as well as folk and tribal religious beliefs. Beginning with a brief historical introduction, it deals with important deities of Orissa, their healing powers, festivals and the ways of ascertaining their divine presence by means of darśana, visual communication. In addition, it analyses the sacred geography of the countryside and the symbols and meanings found in tribal art forms. The book is the result of the most current and up-to-date field research and is lavishly illustrated with new and previously unpublished photos. [Verlagsinformation]

Gleichzeitig Buch zur Ausstellung "Den Spuren der Götter folgen - Rituale und religiöse Ästhetik in Orissa" im Völkerkundemuseum der von Portheim-Stiftung in Heidelberg (28. September 2008 bis 1. Juni 2009) (Völkerkundemuseum der Portheim-Stiftung, Heidelberg).

Inhalt
Preface
I. Orissa, land of elephants (v. Stietencron/Mallebrein)
A survey of its history and its religious traditions

II. Royal rule and divine protection (Mallebrein)
Tutelary goddesses – secular and divine rule
The Raja of Bhatapada – a portrait
Hiṅgulā – goddess of fire and her festival

III. When all gods meet
The doḷamelaṇa festival – the swing festival in spring (v. Stietencron)
The maṇḍai festival – the joyful gathering of the gods (Mallebrein)

IV. Healing in trance (Mallebrein)
Divination and healing – the ‘living gods’ on earth
From the forest to the human realm – the Kandh clan gods Pāṭkhaṇḍā and Śūliā

V. Darśan – contact with the divine
Devotion and decoration – the worship of gods (Mallebrein)
Jagannāth – Lord of the world and divine protector (v. Stietencron)
Śiva – Lord of the three worlds (v. Stietencron)
The sixty-four Yoginīs – a secret cult still unexplored (v. Stietencron)
Kṛṣṇa, Rādhā and Chaitanya – the Bhakti tradition (Malinar)
Hanumān – modern times in Orissan villages (v. Stietencron)

VI. Crossroads and byroads – village and roadside gods (Mallebrein)
Sacred geography - the village, the forest and the gods
The Goddess Tāriṇī – from the jungle to the World Wide Web
Bhīma and Bhīmanī – when gods grow old

VII. The symbols and meanings of tribal art (Mallebrein)
‘Living gods’ as inspiration - bronze images in Western Orissa
The earth, ghosts and thieves – the artistic tradition of the Maliah Kandh
Ancestors and tutelary spirits – rituals and wall paintings of the Lanjia Sora

Appendix
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Maps, coordinates & pronunciation
The authors

Autoren
Prof. em. Dr. HEINRICH VON STIETENCRON, Department of Indology and Comparative History of Religion, University of Tübingen, was head of the Tübingen group of the second Orissa Research Project (ORP II, 1999–2005). He concentrates his research on religious history and movements all over India (see www.stietencron.com).
Dr. CORNELIA MALLEBREIN has studied Indology, Indian art and anthropology, and since 1982 she conducts yearly visits to India, focusing on classical, rural and tribal art. From 1999 –2005 she was member of the ORP II (see www.mallebrein.com).
Prof. Dr. ANGELIKA MALINAR is currently teaching Hinduism at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London.

Quellen: Synchron Verlag; Amazon (Deutschland)