A political geography of deities: Space and the pantheon in Sinhalese Buddhism
The role of Sinhalese Buddhist deities within the long Sinhalese tradition of using Buddhism to legitimize political authority is examined. At the local level, the Sri Lankan deity system is built on a belief common in agrarian states: as people are located territorially, so are the gods who look af...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Print Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Cambridge Univ. Press
1984
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| In: |
The journal of Asian studies
Year: 1984, Volume: 43, Issue: 2, Pages: 273-291 |
| Further subjects: | B
Human geography
B Sri Lanka Herrschaftsform Buddhism Cult Anthropogeographie Religion B Buddhism B Sri Lanka B Religion B Cult B Ruling system |
| Summary: | The role of Sinhalese Buddhist deities within the long Sinhalese tradition of using Buddhism to legitimize political authority is examined. At the local level, the Sri Lankan deity system is built on a belief common in agrarian states: as people are located territorially, so are the gods who look after them. Field survey carried out by the author reveals that not only do people in Sri Lanka have this idea of gods but that deities do have discrete identifiable areas on the ground. Significant difference between the religious and political hierarchies |
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| ISSN: | 0021-9118 |
| Contains: | In: The journal of Asian studies
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