Multifunctional Role of Tamil Material Catholicism: A Study on the Transnational celebrations of Our Lady of Vēlānkaṉṉi

This comparative study explores the significance of Catholic material religion of the Tamils in India and Malaysia in the celebration of Our Lady of Vēlānkaṉṉi feast which involves a complex interplay of materiality, religious beliefs, and embodied practices. Employing Plate and Bruland’s understand...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Ponniah, James (Author) ; Perry, Melissa Shamini (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Brill 2024
In: International journal of Asian christianity
Year: 2024, Volume: 7, Issue: 2, Pages: 260-287
Further subjects:B Catholic
B Material Religion
B Chennai
B Our Lady of Vēlānkaṉṉi
B Kuala Lumpur
B Tamil language
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Summary:This comparative study explores the significance of Catholic material religion of the Tamils in India and Malaysia in the celebration of Our Lady of Vēlānkaṉṉi feast which involves a complex interplay of materiality, religious beliefs, and embodied practices. Employing Plate and Bruland’s understandings of material religion, and based on ethnographic study, this essay seeks to unravel the power of material objects and embodied practices to replicate sacred spaces in new locales and to deliver the pilgrims new experiences of religious sensibilities and personal fulfilment in the sphere of divine and human relations. The findings reveal that material religion functions as a tangible, religious and nostalgic link to the original shrine of Vēlānkaṉṉi and as a symbol of filial piety to the motherhood of Mary for the Tamil community in both sites. This paper highlights the role of material Catholicism in fostering Marian devotion and in shaping and displaying people’s personal, religious and cultural identity.
ISSN:2542-4246
Contains:Enthalten in: International journal of Asian christianity
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/25424246-07020005