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 While Tamil-speaking South India is celebrated for its preservation of Hindu tradition! other religious communities have played a significant role in shaping the region's religious history. Among these non-Hindu communities is that of the Buddhists! who are little-understood because of the scarcity of remnants of Tamil-speaking Buddhist culture. Here! focusing on the two Buddhist texts in Tamil that are complete (a sixth-century poetic narrative and an eleventh-century treatise on grammar and poetics)! Monius sheds light on the role of literature and literary culture in the formation! 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.

Product details

• Authors: Anne E. Monius, Dr Anne E. (Assistant Professor Monius
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 10.01.2002
• EAN: 9780195139990
• ISBN: 978-0-19-513999-0
• No. of pages: 272
• Subjects: Fiction > Narrative literature > Essays, feuilletons, literary criticism, interviews; Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > General and comparative linguistics; Non-fiction book > Politics, society, business > Politics; 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