Hundred Hindu Temples of Sri Lanka

Hundred Hindu Temples of Sri Lanka
Author: Sanmugam Arumugam
Publisher:
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2014-07-14
Genre: Hindu temples
ISBN: 9780957502345

This book is a combined revised reprint of two books by the late Sanmugam Arumugam. The two books are Ancient Hindu Temples of Sri Lanka, Second Edition 1982, and More Hindu Temples of Sri Lanka, 1991. These two books have long been out of print. Ancient Hindu Temples describes 52 Temples, including the oldest Hindu Temple still existing in Sri Lanka which is Siva Devale No. 2 in Polonnaruva. More Hindu Temples goes on to describe 54 additional temples, some ancient and some relatively recent. Many of the temples are illustrated by photographs. The contents of both of the above books have been merged in this single Volume. Sanmugam Arumugam was a Chartered Civil Engineer and a graduate of Kings College, London. He worked in the Irrigation Department in Sri Lanka for 32 years, retiring as a Deputy Director in 1965. He then worked as a Director of the Water Resources Board for six years. He was President of the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka in 1966-67. He was the author of several technical papers and books including the monumental 461 page book, Water Resources of Ceylon 1969, which remains a standard reference resource on the subject to this day. After his retirement he turned his attention to writing about Hindu Temples. Apart from the two books reprinted in this volume, his published works include The Lord of Thiruketheeswaram, 1980, Koneswaram 1986, Lombok and its Temples 1990, and Stone Sculptures in Colombo Hindu Temple 1990. His final work was Dictionary of Biography of the Tamils of Ceylon 1997, which includes the profiles of over 775 Ceylon Tamils. He passed away in the year 2000, at the age of 94 years, working on his word processor right up to the very end.

The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Hinduism

The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Hinduism
Author: Gavin Flood
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 660
Release: 2022-05-13
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1119144884

An accessible and up-to-date survey of scholarly thinking about Hinduism, perfect for courses on Hinduism or world religions The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Hinduism examines the historical trajectories that have led to the modern religion of Hinduism. Covering main themes such as philosophy, practice, society, and science, this comprehensive volume brings together a variety of approaches and perspectives in Hindu Studies to help readers better appreciate the richness, complexity, and diversity of Hinduism. Essays by acknowledged experts in the field present historical accounts of all major traditions, analyze key texts, engage with Hindu theology and philosophy, address contemporary questions of colonialism and identity, and more. Throughout the text, the authors highlight the links, common threads, and issues that reoccur in the history of Hinduism. Fully revised and updated, the second edition of the Companion incorporates the most recent scholarship and reflects the trend away from essentialist understandings of Hinduism. New chapters examine the Goddess tradition, Hindu diaspora, Hinduism and inter-religious comparison, Hindu philosophy, and Indian astronomy, medicine, language, and mathematics. This edition places further emphasis on the importance of region-specific studies in analyzing Hinduism, discusses important theoretical issues, and offers fresh perspectives on current discourse in Hindu society and politics. Provides a thorough overview of major texts, their histories, and the traditions that preserve them Describes the major textual traditions in Sanskrit with examples in different Indian vernacular languages Addresses major issues and contemporary debates about the nature and study of Hinduism Discusses the importance of systematic, rational thinking in Indian sciences, philosophy, and theology Examines key socio-political themes in Hinduism that are of particular relevance to the modern world The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Hinduism, Second Edition is an excellent text for undergraduate courses on Hinduism in Religious Studies and Philosophy departments, and an invaluable resource for scholars and researchers in Hindu Studies.

Buddhism Betrayed?

Buddhism Betrayed?
Author: Stanley Jeyaraja Tambiah
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 232
Release: 1992-07-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0226789500

This volume seeks to answer the question of how the Buddhist monks in today's Sri Lanka—given Buddhism's traditionally nonviolent philosophy—are able to participate in the fierce political violence of the Sinhalese against the Tamils.

Sacred Island

Sacred Island
Author: Shravasti Dhammika
Publisher: Buddhist Publication Society
Total Pages: 262
Release: 2008
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9552402719

This travel and pilgrimage guidebook is meant primarily for Buddhists or those interested in Buddhism who wish to explore Sri Lanka’s rich cultural and spiritual heritage. Drawing on his extensive knowledge of the island, the author weaves together archaeological findings, art history and the stories and legends of the Buddhist tradition to bring to life thirty-three places of religious significance.

Hinduism a Scientific Religion

Hinduism a Scientific Religion
Author: Pon Kulendiren
Publisher: iUniverse
Total Pages: 212
Release: 2012-10-11
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9781475936759

Hinduism, the Truth is not a sect of a faith or a man-made religion. The Cosmic Truth of Hinduism is non denominational and universal and its founder is unknown. However, ancient Rishis and Saints have nurtured and revived it into what it is today. Hinduisms basic concept is unique with its link to Cosmic Energy , its traditions and culture is also linked to nature. A diagram explaining the distribution of Cosmic energy is explained, is given in this book. Lord Shiva is the Cosmic dancer. It is depicted that Brahma is the creator, Vishnu the Preserver and Shiva is in charge of evolution, for easy understanding by the people. This book deals with speculations about the origin of Hinduism and its association with nature. The design and energy of the Hindu temple and how the energy is associated with the power of Yantras, and Chakras in the human body, mantras and their connection with sound waves, Solar system, and Time. Idol / Deity worship and rituals etc. The book covers the five Ishwarams temples of Shiva, Sakthi, Karthigeya, Vishnu, Kannagi in Sri Lanka, worshipped by Hindus and Buddhists. Hinduism had its origin in the Indus valley civilization. The word Hindu is derived from the Indus river and dates back to over 5,000 years or more. This book also touches the link between the Hinduism and Buddhism. Kannagi (Pathini) and her worship by Sri Lankan Tamils and Singhalese is also explained in the book.

Hindu Temples of Sri Lanka

Hindu Temples of Sri Lanka
Author: Ci Patmanātan̲
Publisher:
Total Pages: 500
Release: 2006
Genre: Hindu sculpture
ISBN:

Revised and enlarged version of the Temples of Siva in Sri Lanka.

Contemporary Hinduism

Contemporary Hinduism
Author: P. Pratap Kumar
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 312
Release: 2014-09-11
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1317546369

Most overviews of Hindu belief and practice follow a history from the ancient Vedas to today. Such approaches privilege Brahmanical traditions and create a sense of Hinduism as a homogenous system and culture, and one which is largely unchanging and based solely on sacred texts. In reality, modern Hindu faith and culture present an extraordinary range of dynamic beliefs and practices. 'Contemporary Hinduism' aims to capture the full breadth of the Hindu worldview as practised today, both in the sub-continent and the diaspora. Global and regional faith, ritualised and everyday practice, Brahmanical and non-Brahmanical belief, and ascetic and devotional traditions are all discussed. Throughout, the discussion is illustrated with detailed case material and images, whilst key terms are highlighted and explained in a glossary. 'Contemporary Hinduism' presents students with a lively and engaging survey of Hinduism, offering an introduction to the oldest and one of the most complex of world religions.

Religion, Space and Conflict in Sri Lanka

Religion, Space and Conflict in Sri Lanka
Author: Elizabeth J. Harris
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 447
Release: 2018-03-28
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1351400754

Space is dynamic, political and a cause of conflict. It bears the weight of human dreams and fears. Conflict is caused not only by spatial exclusivism but also by an inclusivism that seeks harmony through subordinating the particularity of the Other to the world view of the majority. This book uses the lens of space to examine inter-religious and inter-communal conflict in colonial and post-colonial Sri Lanka, demonstrating that the colonial can shed light on the post-colonial, particularly on post-war developments, post-May 2009, when Buddhist symbolism was controversially developed in the former, largely non-Buddhist, war zones. Using the concepts of exclusivism and inclusivist subordination, the book analyses the different imaginaries or world views that were present in colonial and post-1948 Sri Lanka, with particular reference to the ethnic or religious Other, and how these were expressed in space, influenced one another and engendered conflict. The book’s use of insights from human geography, peace studies and secular iterations of the theology of religions breaks new ground, as does its narrative technique, which prioritizes voices from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and the author’s fieldwork and personal observation in the twenty first. Through utilizing past and contemporary reflections on lived experience, informed by diverse religious world views, the book offers new insights into Sri Lanka’s past and present. It will be of interest to an interdisciplinary audience in the fields of colonial and postcolonial studies; war and peace studies; security studies; religious studies; the study of religion; Buddhist Studies, mission studies, South Asian and Sri Lankan studies.

How to Become a Hindu

How to Become a Hindu
Author: Subramuniya (Master.)
Publisher: Himalayan Academy Publications
Total Pages: 411
Release: 2000
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0945497822

"A history-making manual,interreligious study and names list, with stories by Westerners who entered Hinduism and Hindus who deepened their faith"--Cove

Diaspora of the Gods

Diaspora of the Gods
Author: Joanne Punzo Waghorne
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 311
Release: 2004-09-16
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0198035578

Many Hindus today are urban middle-class people with religious values similar to those of their professional counterparts in America and Europe. Just as modern professionals continue to build new churches, synagogues, and now mosques, Hindus are erecting temples to their gods wherever their work and their lives take them. Despite the perceived exoticism of Hindu worship, the daily life-style of these avid temple patrons differs little from their suburban neighbors. Joanne Waghorne leads her readers on a journey through this new middle-class Hindu diaspora, focusing on their efforts to build and support places of worship. She seeks to trace the changing religious sensibilities of the middle classes as written on their temples and on the faces of their gods. She offers detailed comparisons of temples in Chennai (formerly Madras), London, and Washington, D.C., and interviews temple priests, devotees, and patrons. In the process, she illuminates the interrelationships between ritual worship and religious edifices, the rise of the modern world economy, and the ascendancy of the great middle class. The result is a comprehensive portrait of Hinduism as lived today by so many both in India and throughout the world. Lavishly illustrated with professional photographs by Dick Waghorne, this book will appeal to art historians as well as urban anthropologists, scholars of religion, and those interested in diaspora, transnationalism, and trends in contemporary religion. It should be especially appealing for course use because it introduces the modern Hinduism practiced by the friends and neighbors of students in the U.S. and Britain.