Hanuman's tale : the messages of a divine monkey /

Hanuman, the devoted monkey helper of Rama and Sita, has long been recognized as a popular character in India's ancient Ramayana epic. But more recently he has also become one of the most beloved and worshiped gods in the Hindu pantheon - enshrined in majestic new temples, but equally present i...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:
1. Verfasser:
Lutgendorf, Philip
Format:
Elektronisch E-Book
Sprache:
Englisch
Veröffentlicht:
Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2007.
Ausgabe:
1st ed.
Zusammenfassung:
Hanuman, the devoted monkey helper of Rama and Sita, has long been recognized as a popular character in India's ancient Ramayana epic. But more recently he has also become one of the most beloved and worshiped gods in the Hindu pantheon - enshrined in majestic new temples, but equally present in poster art, advertising, and mass media. Drawing on Sanskrit and vernacular texts, classical iconography and modern TV serials, and extensive fieldwork and interviews, Philip Lutgendorf challenges the academic clich of Hanuman as a "minor" or "folk" deity by exploring his complex and growing role in South Asian religion and culture. This wide-ranging study examines the historical evolution of Hanuman's worship, his close association with Shiva and goddesses, his invocation in tantric ritual, his physical immortality and enduring presence in sacred sites, and his appeal to devotees who include scholars, wrestlers, healers, politicians, and middle-class urbanites. Lutgendorf also offers a rich array of entertaining stories not previously available in English: an expanding epic cycle that he christens the "Hanumayana." Arguing that Hanuman's role as cosmic "middle man" is intimately linked to his embodiment in a charming and provocative simian form, Lutgendorf moves beyond the Indian subcontinent to interrogate the wider human fascination with anthropoid primates as boundary beings and as potent signifiers of both Self and Other.
Umfang:
xiv, 434 p. : ill.
Bibliografie:
Includes bibliographical references (p. [407]-423) and index.
ISBN:
9786611163457
9780198042204
0198042205
9780199785391
0199785392
9781435619708
1435619706
9780199885824
0199885826
9780195309225
0195309227
9781281163455
1281163457
Schlagworte:
Hanuman > (Hindu deity)
Hanuman (Hindu deity) > in literature.
Hindu literature, Hindi > History and criticism.
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