Description
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.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: The Śivaliṅga Between Artifact and Nature: The Ghṛṣṇeśvaraliṅga in Varanasi and the Bāṇaliṅgas from the Narmada River
Chapter 2: Jhāṅkīs: "Living Images" as Objects of Worship in Himachal Pradesh
Chapter 3: The Material Culture of Sāṃkhya: Kapila as Object of Worship
Chapter 4: Yantras as Objects of Worship in Hindu and Tantric Traditions
Materiality, Aesthetics, and Practice
Chapter 5: Wheel of the Liberated: Jain Siddhacakras, Past and Present
Chapter 6: Object of Worship as a Free Choice: Viṭhobā (god), Dñyāneśvar (saint), the Dñyāneśvarī (book), or Samādhī (grave)?
Chapter 7: Architectural Heritage and Modern Rituals: The Ahmad Shah Bahmani Mausoleum between Old Political Concerns and New Religious Perceptions
Chapter 8: Lāl Beg Underground: The Passing of an "Untouchable" God
Chapter 9: Making the Book a Living Guru: Ritual Practices Among Contemporary Sikhs
Chapter 10: Worshipping the Sword: The Practice of Śāstar Pūjā in the Sikh Warrior Tradition
Chapter 11: Rites of Reverence, Ways of Worship: The Bodhi Tree in Bodhgayā as a Material Object and Focus of Devotion
