Shrestha: The Sacred Town of Sankhu

Shrestha, Bal Gopal:
The Sacred Town of Sankhu : the Anthropology of Newar Ritual, Religion and Society in Nepal / by Bal Gopal Shrestha. - Newcastle : Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2012. - xxv, 615 S. : Ill.
ISBN 978-1-443-83770-5
£ 64,99 / US$ 97,99 (Hardback)
DDC: 390.095496; 305.89549

Beschreibung
This book presents a detailed view of Newar society and culture, and its socio-economic, socio-religious and ritual aspects, concentrating on the Newar town of Sankhu in the Valley of Nepal. The foundation of the town of Sankhu is attributed to the goddess Vajrayoginī, venerated by both Buddhists and Hindus in Nepal and beyond. Myths, history, and topographical details of the town and the sanctuary of the goddess Vajrayoginī and her cult are discussed on the basis of published sources, unpublished chronicles, and inscriptions.
   The book deals with the relation between Hinduism and Buddhism, with the interrelations between the Newar castes (jāt), caste-bound associations (sī guthi), and above all with the numerous socio-religious associations (guthi) that uphold ritual life of the Newars. All major and minor Newar feasts, festivals, dances, fasts and processions of gods and goddesses are discussed. [Verlagsinformation]

Inhalt
List of Illustrations and Maps. ix
List of Tables and Charts. xi
Foreword. xii
Preface. xiv
Acknowledgments. xix
Note on Transliteration. xxiv
Abbreviations. xxv
1. Introduction. 1
2. Ritual and Calendars in Nepal. 13
3. The Significance of Newar Culture and Society. 21
4. The Town of Sankhu: History and Myth. 42
5. Sacred Space and Geography of Sankhu. 61
Appendix to Chapter Five: Names of the Deities. 102
6. Socio-Economic Position of Sankhu. 105
7. Features of Newar Caste and Religion. 137
Appendix to Chapter Seven: Nicknames. 179
8. Sī guthi, the Funeral Associations in Sankhu. 183
9. Role of Guthi, the Socio-Religious Associations in Sankhu. 199
10. Ritual Cycle: Feasts and Festivals. 266
11. The Festival of Svanti: The Ritual Renewal in Nepal. 328
12. The Fast of Mādhava Nārāyaṇa and the Legend of Svasthānī. 343
13. The Cult of the Goddess Vajrayoginī and her Sanctuary. 390
Appendix to Chapter Thirteen: The Way of Worship of the Goddess Vajrayoginī. 444
14. The Annual Festival of Vajrayoginī. 446
15. The Dances of Devī: The Manifestations of the Goddess Vajrayoginī. 507
16. Conclusion: Continuity and Change in the Town of Sankhu. 523
Notes. 532
Bibliography. 555
Glossary. 580
Index. 593

Autor
Dr Bal Gopal Shrestha is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology (ISCA), and Associate with Wolfson College, University of Oxford, UK. He has conducted fieldwork in Nepal and India, and has published widely on Nepalese religious rituals, Hinduism, Buddhism, ethnic nationalism, the Maoist movement, and political development in Nepal. Profile page.

Quellen: Cambridge Scholars Publishing; WorldCat; Library of Congress; Amazon (UK)
Bildquelle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Bibliographie: [1]

References