Placating the Demons: Ritual Practices among Sri Lankans
Nov 2021 · Taylor & Francis
Ebook
184
Pages
family_home
Eligible
info
reportRatings and reviews aren’t verified Learn More
About this ebook
This book critically examines dominant ceremonial practices in Sri Lanka. It presents key ideas and symbolic systems that exist to this day, in similar shapes or in different guises. It looks at issues such as misfortunes caused by demons (yaksa dosa), an important ceremonial practice known as the puna-yāgaya, ideas pertaining to spirit possession, trance, and mediums. It also deals with classical Ayurvedic theories of disease, urban ceremonial practices such as cases of the apotheoses from demon to divinity, as well as multiple forms of Buddhist ceremonial practices that are part of the Sri Lankan consciousness and have found their way into public cultural performances in Sri Lanka.
As a comprehensive volume on ceremonial practices in Sri Lanka, this work will be useful for scholars and researchers in cultural studies, sociology, social-anthropology, and particularly those interested in myths and rituals in South Asia.
About the author
Gananath Obeyesekere is Professor Emeritus, Department of Anthropology, Princeton University, USA, where he has taught for 20 years. He has also taught at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, as well as The University of Washington, Seattle and The University of California, San Diego. He has given public lectures in the US, Canada, Britain, India, China and several places in Europe.
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
