Achala Gunasekara-Rockwell

Devas, Demons and Buddhist Cosmology in Sri Lanka (eBook, ePUB)

Apotheosis and the Spiritual Progression of Huniyam

• Format: ePub

Produktbeschreibung

This book examines the worship of devas and demons in Sri Lanka, illustrating how diverse influences interacted to create the Sinhala Buddhist cosmology.

The work explains the processes by which apotheosis plays an important role in revitalizing that cosmology. The author offers an examination of holy sites associated with the worship of Huniyam. These sacred spaces each have a unique background historically, and the ritualists associated with these sites have divergent understandings concerning Huniyam. Building upon the examination of the temples, the book delves into the iconography of Huniyam, illustrating his transformation from demon to deity in the manner that he is depicted in imagery associated with his worship. The book moves to a discussion of Arit¿ ¿ Kiven¿u Perumal, a South Indian adventurer, demonstrating the likelihood that he is the historical figure later apotheosized as Huniyam. Sri Lankan society felt his impact so strongly that in death he became a demon in the Sinhala Buddhist cosmology. Finally, the book demonstrates that the same apotheosis processes are at work today.

This book will be of interest to researchers and students engaged in the study of religion, anthropology, folklore, and history, specifically in the South Asian context.

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: Taylor & Francis eBooks
• Seitenzahl: 172
• Erscheinungstermin: 19. August 2022
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781000630862
• Artikelnr.: 64558808

Autorenporträt

Achala Gunasekara-Rockwell is the assistant editor of the US Department of the Air Force's Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs. She also serves as an adjunct assistant professor for the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Troy University, USA. She received her PhD in Languages and Cultures of Asia from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Inhaltsangabe

List of illustrations



Foreword



Acknowledgments

1 Deva and demon worship in Sri Lanka

2 Temples, shrines, and sacred spaces of Huniyam

3 Iconography of Huniyam

4 Historical context

5 European colonialism versus the indigenous kingdoms

6 From British hegemony to the modern era

7 The potential apotheosis of Mahinda Ra japaks a

8 Huniyam as an invader

9 Conclusion



Bibliography



Index