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

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.

General

Imprint:	Oxford UniversityPress
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	2002
First published:	December 2001
Authors:	Anne E. Monius (Assistant Professor, Department of Religious Studies)
Dimensions:	242 x 162 x 22mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Hardcover
Pages:	370
ISBN-13:	978-0-19-513999-0
Categories:	Books > Language & Literature > Literature: history & criticism > Literary studies > Classical, early & medieval Books > Language & Literature > Literature: texts > Essays, journals, letters & other prose works > General Books > Reference & Interdisciplinary > Interdisciplinary studies > Cultural studies > General Books > Humanities > History > World history > 500 to 1500 Books > Humanities > History > Asian / Middle Eastern history > General Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Non-Christian religions > Religions of Indic & Oriental origin > Buddhism > General Books > History > Asian / Middle Eastern history > General Books > History > World history > 500 to 1500 Books > Religion & Spirituality > Non-Christian religions > Religions of Indic & Oriental origin > Buddhism > General Promotions
LSN:	0-19-513999-2
Barcode:	9780195139990

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