The isolated valleys of Rawain in the Western Himalaya are ruled by
local gods who control the weather, provide justice, and regularly
travel through their territories to mark their borders and to ward
off incursions by rival gods. These, identified with Karna and
Duryodhana from the great Indian epic Mahabharata, are regarded as
divine kings whom local persons serve as priests, ministers,
patrons, soldiers, and servants. Each divine kings has an oracle,
who is regularly summoned, enters into a trance, and speaks with
the god's voice, appointing and dismissing officers, confiscating
property, levying fines, and ratifying the decisions of councils of
elders. The gods hear civil and sometimes criminal cases and,
through their oracles, enforce their judgments through fines and
penalties, or by compelling disputants to reach a compromise. In
the Valley of the Kauravas seeks to describe how this system
functions by closely examining the myths, legends, rituals, and
folklore associated with it, and above all by providing a detailed
ethnographic description of its day-to-day workings. It
contextualizes this system by comparing it with 'divine kingship'
throughout history, in both South and Southeast Asia, and seeks to
embed this historical and ethnographic analysis in a theoretical
discussion of the nature, goals, and limits of anthropological
knowledge of 'multiple worlds'. The chapters of the book are
organized in terms of the 'seven limbs' of the classical Indian
kingdom as described by the political philosopher Kautilya: king,
land and people, minister, army, treasury, ally, and enemy.
General
| Imprint: |
Oxford UniversityPress
|
| Country of origin: |
United Kingdom |
| Release date: |
December 2023 |
| Authors: |
William S. Sax
(Professor of Anthropology of South Asia)
|
| Dimensions: |
234 x 156mm (L x W) |
| Pages: |
304 |
| ISBN-13: |
978-0-19-887935-0 |
| Categories: |
Books
|
| LSN: |
0-19-887935-0 |
| Barcode: |
9780198879350 |
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