Imagining a Place for Buddhism - Literary Culture and Religious Community in Tamil-Speaking South India

Zusatztext Anne Monius has produced a learned and detailed book on the insufficiently studied subject of Buddhism in South India, which greatly enriches our knowledge of the religious life of the early medieval Tamil-speaking region. Klappentext This study argues that, in early medieval South India, it was in the literary arena that religious ideals and values were publicly contested. While Tamil-speaking South India is today celebrated for its preservation of Hindu tradition, non-Hindu religious communities have played a significant role in shaping the religious history of the region. Among the least understood of such non-Hindu contributions is that of the Buddhists, who are little understood because of the scarcity of remnants of Tamil-speaking Buddhist culture. However, the two exant Buddhist texts in Tamil that are complete - a sixth-century poetic narrative known as the Manimekalai and an eleventh-century treatise on grammar and postics, the Viracoliyam - reveal a wealth of information about their textual communities and their vision of Buddhist life in a diverse and competitive religious milieu. By focusing on these texts, Monius sheds light on their role of literature and literary culture in the information, articulation, and evolution of religious identity and community. Zusammenfassung By focusing on two extant Buddhist complete texts in Tamil - a sixth-century poetic narrative known as the 'Manimekalai' and an 11th-century treatise on grammar and poetics, the 'Viracoliyam', Monius sheds light on their role of literature and literary culture in the information, articulation, and evolution of religious identity and community.

Produktdetails

• Autoren: Anne E. Monius, Anne Elizabeth Monius, Dr Anne E. (Assistant Professor Monius
• Verlag: Oxford University Press
• Sprache: Englisch
• Produktform: Fester Einband
• Erschienen: 10.01.2002
• EAN: 9780195139990
• ISBN: 978-0-19-513999-0
• Seiten: 272
• Themen: Belletristik > Erzählende Literatur > Essays, Feuilleton, Literaturkritik, Interviews; Geisteswissenschaften, Kunst, Musik > Religion/Theologie > Weitere Religionen; Sachbuch > Politik, Gesellschaft, Wirtschaft > Politik; Tamil, Cultural Studies, RELIGION / Buddhism / General, LITERARY CRITICISM / Medieval, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Anthropology / Cultural & Social, RELIGION / Essays, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Essays, HISTORY / Essays, LITERARY CRITICISM / Asian / Indic, Buddhism, India, CE period up to c 1500, Literary studies: classical, early & medieval, Asian History, Literary essays, Early history: c 500 to c 1450/1500, c 500 to c 1000 CE, Literary studies: ancient, classical and medieval, C 500 CE To C 1000 CE, HISTORY / Asia / South / India